THE-ROVERBOYS 
ON  A  HUNT 


ARTHUR  M.WINFIELD 


THE  WOLVES  GAVE  LOUD  YELPS  OF  PAIN. 

The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Hunt.  Frontispiece — Page  282 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
ON  A  HUNT 


OR 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  HOUSE 
THE  WOODS 


BY 

ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL,"  "THE  ROVER 

BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN,"  "THE  PUTNAM 

HALL  SERIES,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 

in  the  United  States  of  Amenca 


BOOKS  BY  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 


THE  FIRST  ROVER  -BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKEB 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND  SEA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


THE  SECOND  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLBY  HALL 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON   SNOWSHOE   ISLAND 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 


THE  PUTNAM  HALL  SERIES 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 


I2mo.    Cloth.    Illustrated. 


GROSSET  &   DUNLAP,    Publishers,    New  York 


COPYRIGHT,  1920,  BY 
EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 


The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Hunt 


7 

INTRODUCTION 

MY  DEAR  BOYS  :  This  book  is  a  complete  story 
in  itself,  but  forms  the  fourth  volume  in  a  line  is- 
sued under  the  general  title,  "The  Second  Rover 
Boys  Series  for  Young  Americans." 

As  mentioned  in  some  volumes  of  the  first 
series,  this  line  was  started  years  ago  with  the 
publication  of  "The  Rover  Boys  at  School," 
"On  the  Ocean,"  and  "In  the  Jungle,"  in  which 
I  introduced  my  readers  to  Dick,  Tom  and  Sam 
'Rover.  The  twenty  volumes  of  the  first  series 
related  the  doings  of  these  three  youths  while  at- 
tending Putnam  Hall  Military  Academy,  Brill 
College,  and  while  on  numerous  outings. 

Having  acquired  a  thorough  education,  the 
three  young  men  established  themselves  in  busi- 
ness and  were  married.  Presently  Dick  Rover 
became  the  father  of  a  son  and  a  daughter,  and 
so  did  his  brother  Sam,  while  Tom  Rover  be- 
came the  father  of  twin  boys.  The  four  lads  were 
later  on  sent  to  boarding  school,  as  related  in  the 
first  volume  of  this  second  series,  entitled  "The 
Rover  Boys  at  Colby  Hall." 

iii 


iv  INTRODUCTION 

From  Colby  Hall  the  scene  was  shifted  to 
"Snowshoe  Island,"  where  the  lads  went  for  a 
winter  outing.  Then  they  came  back  to  the 
military  academy,  and  later  on  participated  in  the 
annual  encampment,  as  related  in  the  third  vol- 
ume, entitled  "The  Rover  Boys  under  Canvas." 

In  the  present  volume  the  scene  is  shifted  from 
lively  times  at  Colby  Hall  to  still  more  livelier 
times  in  the  woods,  to  which  the  lads  journeyed 
for  a  season  of  hunting.  They  came  upon  a 
mysterious  house  in  the  forest,  and  there  un- 
covered a  secret  which  I  will  leave  the  pages  that 
follow  to  relate. 

Once  more   I   wish  to  thank   my  numerous 

readers  for  the  many  nice  things  they  have  said 

about  these  "Rover  Boys"  books.     I  trust  that 

the  reading  of  the  volumes  will  do  them  all  good. 

Affectionately  and  sincerely  yours, 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYER. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACT 

I  THE  BOBSLED  RACE i 

II  ABOUT  THE  ROVERS n 

III  NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE 21 

IV  SOMETHING  ABOUT  CEDAR  LODGE 31 

V  THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY 41 

VI  AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATER 52 

VII  THE  END  OF  THE  TERM 63 

VIII  CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME 74 

IX  THE  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT 84 

X  THE   RESCUE 95 

XI  ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE 106 

XII  AT  THE  FROZEN-UP  SPRING 117 

XIII  THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD 128 

XIV  THE  FIRST  HUNT 138 

XV  A  CRY  FOR  HELP 150 

XVI  UNDESIRABLE  VISITORS 161 

XVII  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  IN  CAMP 171 

XVIII  FISHING  THROUGH  THE  ICE 182 

XIX  LETTERS  FROM  HOME 192 

XX  LOST  IN  THE  WOODS 202 

XXI  A  NIGHT  UNDER  THE  CLIFF..,  212 


VI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII  AT  TONY  DUVAL'S  CAMP „  221 

XXIII  Six  BIG  SNOWBALLS 230 

XXIV  A  CONVERSATION  OF  IMPORTANCE 239 

XXV  THE  MYSTERIOUS  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS...  250 

XXVI  WHAT  THE  BIG  BARN  CONTAINED 260 

XXVII  THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLVES 269 

XXVIII  THE  MAN  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT 280 

XXIX  WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE 290 

XXX  THE   EXPOSURE— CONCLUSION 300 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
ON  A  HUNT 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  BOBSLED  RACE 

ready,  boys  ?" 

1<Wait  a  minute,  Jack." 

"Can't  wait;  life  is  too  short!"  cried  Jack 
gayly.  He  was  seated  at  the  front  of  a 
long1  bobsled  holding  six  boys.  "Remember, 
we've  got  to  be  back  at  the  Hall  in  half  an  hour.'* 

"Please  don't  mention  it!"  pleaded  Randy 
Rover,  his  cousin. 

"Hi,  you  fellows!  are  you  going  to  race  or 
not?"  came  from  another  youth  on  a  bobsled 
standing  close  by. 

"You  bet  we're  going  to  race !"  sang  out  Fred 
Rover,  who  was  at  the  tail  end  of  the  first  sled. 
"And  we'll  beat  you,  too,  Bill  Glutts!" 

"You  will,  like  fun!"  grumbled  the  cadet  ad- 
dressed, a  rather  heavy-set  and  by-no-means  pre- 
possessing youth.  "Come  on  now,  unless  you're 
afraid." 

x 


2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"We're  afraid  of  nobody!"  sang  out  Andy 
Rover,  and,  leaning  sideways  from  where  he 
sat  on  the  bobsled,  he  scooped  up  a  handful  of 
loose  snow  and  threw  it  playfully  at  Glutts. 

"Hi,  you!  what  do  you  mean?"  roared  Bill 
Glutts  in  anger,  as  the  snow  landed  directly  be- 
hind his  right  ear. 

"Hello !  I  guess  it  must  have  begun  to  snow 
again,"  cried  Randy  Rover,  mischievously. 

"I'll  'snow'  you!"  retorted  Glutts.  "I  guess 
you  fellows  are  afraid  to  race.  That's  why  you 
are  cutting  up." 

"Never  mind — race  them  anyway,  Bill,"  came 
from  a  small,  pasty-faced  youth,  who  was  usually 
called  Codfish  on  account  of  his  broad  mouth. 
"Go  ahead  and  show  'em  what  your  new  bob- 
sled can  do." 

"That's  the  talk!"  cried  another  cadet,  a  new- 
comer at  the  academy.  "Show  'em  that  the  Yel- 
low Streak  can  lick  anything  on  this  hill." 

"That's  a  dream  that  will  never  come  true!* 
cried  Spouter  Powell.  "Come  ahead,  Jack,  let's 
start  this  race,"  he  added  to  the  oldest  Rover 
boy. 

The  scene  was  Long  Hill,  a  rise  of  ground 
located  about  midway  between  Colby  Hall  Mili- 
tary Academy  and  the  town  of  Haven  Point. 
(There  was  something  of  a  wagon  road  leading  up 


THE  BOBSLED  RACE  3 

the  hill  from  the  main  highway  which  skirted 
Clearwater  Lake,  and  this  road  had  been  con- 
verted by  the  cadets  of  the  academy  into  a  slide 
for  their  bobsleds. 

From  the  top  of  the  hill  the  slide  ran  down  and 
over  two  smaller  hills,  then  crossed  the  main 
highway  and  shot  down  another  road  onto  the 
lake,  which  at  this  season  of  the  year  was  covered 
with  ice. 

It  was  a  Saturday  afternoon,  and,  as  usual,  th o 
cadets  of  the  military  academy  were  making  the 
most  of  their  off  time,  some  with  bobsleds  and 
other  with  ordinary  handsleds  and  what  were 
locally  called  "bread  shovels." 

For  some  weeks  before  this  the  boys,  as  well  as 
many  other  residents  in  that  vicinity,  had  en- 
joyed skating  on  the  lake.  But  a  rather  wet  snow 
had  fallen  which  the  wind  had  been  unable  to 
sweep  away,  and  consequently  skating  became  a 
thing  of  the  past.  Then  the  lads  turned  to  their 
bobsleds,  the  Rovers  getting  out  one  they  had 
used  the  season  before.  This  they  painted  and 
varnished  very  carefully  and  christened  the  Blue 
Moon. 

"Because,  you  see,"  explained  Randy,  with  a 
wink,  "it's  only  once  in  a  blue  moon  that  she'll 
be  beaten.'* 

The  Rovers  and  their  chums,  as  well  as  many 


4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

other  cadets  and  boys  and  girls  from  that  vicinity, 
had  been  using-  the  hill  for  a  couple  of  hours  when 
the  race  between  the  Blue  Moon  and  the  Yellow 
Streak  was  proposed  by  Nick  Carncross,  the  ne\f 
friend  of  Bill  Glutts. 

Now,  as  my  old  readers  know,  the  Rovers  and 
Bill  Glutts  were  by  no  means  on  good  terms  with 
each  other.  In  the  past  Glutts  had  proved  him- 
self anything  but  a  friend,  and  they  had  had  more 
than  one  personal  encounter  with  this  freckled- 
faced  bully. 

But  it  was  not  in  the  nature  of  any  of  the  Rover 
boys  to  refuse  a  challenge  to  race,  knowing  well 
that  if  this  was  done  many  would  think  they  were 
afraid  of  being  beaten.  So  the  challenge  was 
accepted,  and  immediately  the  details  were  ar- 
ranged. 

Each  bobsled  was  to  carry  six  cadets,  and  they 
were  to  start  down  the  hill  side  by  side,  the  Blue 
Moon  keeping  well  to  the  right  and  the  Yellow 
Streak  well  to  the  left.  The  first  sled  to  cross 
a  mark  located  out  on  the  lake  was  to  be  declared 
the  winner. 

With  the  four  Rover  boys  were  their  intimate 
chums,  Spouter  Powell  and  Gif  Garrison.  With 
Gluts  were  Codfish,  Carncross,  and  three  Gxther 
of  the  bully's  cronies. 

"Gee!    I  wish  I  was  in  that  race,"  came  from 


THE  BOBSLED  RACE  5 

Will  Hendry,  who,  on  account  of  his  unusual 
stoutness,  was  always  called  Fatty. 

"Nothing  doing,  Fatty,"  remarked  Dan  Sop- 
pinger,  another  cadet.  "You'd  make  the  Rovers 
lose  sure." 

"All  ready?"  questioned  Walt  Baxter,  who 
had  been  settled  on  as  the  starter  of  the  race. 

"All  ready,"  answered  Jack  Rover,  after  a 
glance  around  to  see  that  nothing  was  out  of 
order. 

"Been  ready  half  an  hour,"  grumbled  Bill 
Glutts. 

"All  right,  then!"  cried  Walt.  "One— two—- 
three— go !" 

As  he  finished  Fred  Rover,  who  was  at  the 
rear  of  the  Blue  Moon,  gave  that  bobsled  a  quick 
push  and  leaped  aboard.  At  the  same  time  Carn- 
cross  sent  the  Yellow  Streak  forward  and  also 
sprang  to  his  seat.  Then,  side  by  side,  the  two 
bobsleds  moved  down  the  long  hill,  slowly  at  first, 
but  gradually  gathering  speed. 

It  was  five  o'clock  of  an  afternoon  in  early 
December,  and  consequently  quite  dark,  even  on 
the  snow-clad  hills.  Many  of  the  smaller  chil« 
dren,  and  also  the  girls,  had  gone  home,  leav- 
ing the  place  to  the  cadets  and  a  few  others. 

"I  hope  we  win  this,"  remarked  Randy,  as  the 
two  sleds  continued  to  speed  forward  side  by  side. 


6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Of  course  we'll  win  it,"  came  promptly  from 
Gif  Garrison. 

"We've  got  to  win  it !"  added  Fred  Rover. 

"If  you  don't  win  Bill  Glutts  will  never  stop 
crowing  over  you,"  put  in  Spouter  Powell. 

"Hi,  there,  Glutts!  Keep  to  your  side  of  the 
run,"  warned  Jack  suddenly.  The  Yellow  Streak 
had  swerved  over  well  into  the  middle  of  the 
road. 

"I  know  what  I'm  doing,"  growled  Glutts. 
You  tend  to  your  own  business." 

"Well,  you  know  the  rules,"  warned  Jack. 
"You  keep  over  on  your  own  side.  If  you  don't 
there'll  be  trouble." 

"Humph!  you  don't  have  to  tell  me  what  to 
do,"  growled  the  other  cadet;  and  then,  striking 
a  bit  of  extra  smooth  roadway,  the  Yellow 
Streak  bounded  ahead,  much  to  the  delight  of  its 
riders. 

"Hurrah !  here  is  where  we  leave  them  behind," 
sang  out  Codfish. 

"Nothing  to  it  but  the  shouting,"  added  another 
of  Bill  Glutts'  cronies. 

"We'll  be  a  mile  ahead  by  the  time  we  reach 
the  lake,"  exulted  Nick  Carncross. 

For  half  a  minute  it  looked  as  if  his  prophecy 
might  be  true.  The  Yellow  Streak  was  gliding 
over  the  icy  surface  of  the  long  hill,  and  con- 


THE  BOBSLED  RACE  j 

sequently  going  ahead,  while  the  Blue  Moon 
struck  several  soft  spots  where  going  \vas  any- 
thing but  good. 

"Oh,  Jack !  can't  you  pull  out  of  this  ?"  queried 
Gif  Garrison  anxiously.  "Pull  over  to  the  left 
where  the  going  is  harder.  It's  too  soft  here  en- 
tirely." 

"I'm  sticking  to  my  side  of  the  road,  just  as  I 
was  expected  to  do,"  said  Jack  grimly. 

The  Yellow  Streak  disappeared  over  the  first 
rise,  and  for  a  few  seconds  was  lost  to  view.  But 
then  the  Blue  Moon  came  along,  and  beyond  this 
rise  found  going  somewhat  easier.  Slowly  but 
surely  they  crawled  up  behind  the  other  l>ob- 
sled. 

"Keep  to  your  side  of  the  road,  Glutts  1"  ydled 
Jack,  in  a  second  warning.  "If  you  don't,  there'll 
be  trouble." 

"And  you'll  get  the  worst  of  it,"  added  Randy. 

"I  know  what  I'm  doing,"  retorted  Glutts.  He 
had  found  the  snow  somewhat  soft  on  his  side  of 
the  road,  and  was  now  running  near  the  center, 
and  occasionally  crowding  to  Jack's  side. 

"We'll  run  into  'em  sure !"  came  from  Spoutet 
[Powell  in  alarm.  "Look  out,  Jack !" 

"Look  out !"  echoed  Fred. 

"Over  on  your  own  side,  or  we'll  smash 
Glutts !"  yelled  Jack,  for  the  Blue  Moon  had 


8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

danly  found  going  much  easier  and  was  forging 
forward  rapidly.  "Get  out  of  the  way !" 

The  call  was  so  peremptory  that  Glutts  felt 
bound  to  obey.  He  swerved  to  his  side  of  the 
road,  and  with  not  a  second  to  spare,  for  almost 
instantly  the  Blue  Moon  shot  past  and  continued 
down  the  slope  toward  the  lake. 

"We  win!  we  win!"  yelled  Andy  gayly. 

"But  the  Yellow  Streak  is  just  behind  us!" 
cried  Spouter,  looking  back.  "Here  they  come !" 

"Yes,  and  on  our  side  of  the  road,  too!"  cried 
Fred,  in  alarm.  He  turned  his  head  still  further 
around.  "Glutts,  get  to  your  own  side !" 

"Aw,  dry  up!"  cried  the  other  cadet,  in  dis- 
gust. "You  don't  have  to  act  as  if  you  owned  the 
whole  road." 

"You  know  the  rules  of  the  race  "  flung  back 
Fred. 

Crossing  the  highway  which  skirted  the  lake 
was  not  so  easy,  and  beyond  this  the  snow  was 
rather  deep,  and  consequently  the  speed  of  the 
Blue  Moon  was  slackened.  The  Yellow  Streak 
came  dangerously  close,  and  then  Bill  Glutts 
seemed  to  lose  his  head  completely.  He  slued 
around  to  his  own  side  of  the  road,  but  made  such 
a  short  turn  that  in  a  twinkling  the  long  bobsled 
was  upset  and  the  occupants  hurled  in  all  direc- 
tions. 


THE  BOBSLED  RACE  g 

"There  they  go!  They  are  upset!"  yelled 
Fred.  And  then  he  lost  sight  of  those  left  behind 
as  the  Blue  Moon  shot  out  on  the  surface  of  the 
lake  and  beyond  the  mark  set  for  the  end  of  the 
race. 

"We  win !  we  win !"  cried  Andy,  leaping  from 
the  bobsled,  and  in  the  exuberance  of  his  spirits 
he  turned  a  handspring  in  the  snow. 

"What  happened  to  the  other  sled  ?"  asked  Jack, 
who  had  been  so  busy  steering  the  Blue  Moon  he 
had  paid  little  attention  to  what  had  been  going 
on  behind. 

"They  had  a  spill,"  answered  Fred.  "But  be- 
fore they  took  it  they  came  pretty  close  to  running 
into  us." 

"It  was  up  to  them  to  keep  to  their  side  of  the 
road,"  said  Gif  Garrison.  "Why,  we  might  have 
had  a  terrible  accident  if  they  had  run  into  us !" 

There  were  about  a  dozen  boys  on  the  lake  who 
had  witnessed  the  finish  of  the  race,  and  these, 
along  with  those  who  had  come  down  on  the  Blue 
Moon,  now  turned  back  to  see  what  had  happened 
to  the  Glutts  party.  They  found  the  cadets  who 
had  been  spilled  picking  themselves  up  and  brush- 
ing the  snow  from  their  garments.  One  was 
nursing  a  bruised  ankle,  and  another  a  bruised 
elbow,  while  Bill  Glutts  was  wiping  some  blood 
from  a  scratch  on  his  chin. 


jo  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Well,  we  won  the  race,"  said  Jack  briefly.  He 
had  no  desire  to-  crow  over  his  opponents. 

"Huh !  you  didn't  win  it  fairly,"  growled  Glutts, 
glaring'  at  him. 

"Didn't  wm  it  faMyr  exclaimed  Jack.  "What 
do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"I  mean  you  got  in  our  way  so  we  couldn't 
get  past  you — that's  what  I  mean  f*  growled  the 
other. 

"That  is  false,  Qutts,  and  you  know  it,"  re- 
torted the  oldest  Rover  boy. 

"See  here,  Jack  Rover!  you  can't  talk  to  me 
in  that  fashion,"  roared  Bffl  Glntts.  He  had  been 
in  a  more  or  less  bad  humor  all  the  afternoon,  and 
the  defeat  had  not  improved  his  temper.  "I  say 
you  got  in  my  way,  and  that  is  why  I  lost  the 
race." 

"And  I  say  your  statement  isn't  true,"  returned 
Jack  sturdily. 

"It  is  true!  And  I  won't  let  you  or  anybody 
else  say  any  different,"  said  Bill  Glutts.  And 
then,  in  sudden  passion,  he  stepped  forward  and 
gave  Jack  a  shove  which  sent  the  oldest  Rover 

•* 

boy  fiat  on  his  back  in  a  snowbank. 


CHAPTER  H 

ABOUT  THE  ROVERS 

THE  attack  upon  Jack  Rover  was  so  unex- 
pected that  he  had  no  chance  to  save  himself  from 
going  down  into  the  snowbank.  He  went  down 
so  hard  and  the  snow  was  so  soft  that  for  the 
moment  he  was  almost  covered  and  had  to 
flounder  around  quite  some  to  regain  his  feet. 

"See  here,  Bill  Glutts!  what  do  you  mean  by 
attacking  my  cousin?"  cried  Randy,  leaping  for- 
ward and  catching  the  bully  by  the  arm. 

"He  had  no  right  to  talk  to  me  the  way  he  did,** 
retorted  Glutts.  "Let  go  of  me!"  and  he  shook 
himself  free. 

"What  Jack  said  was  true,"  put  in  Fred  quickly. 
"I  was  on  the  back  of  our  bobsled  and  watched 
you  nearly  all  the  time.  You  came  over  on  our 
side  of  the  road  at  least  three  different  times." 

By  this  time  half  a  dozen  of  the  cadets  were 
speaking  at  once,  Carncross  and  several  others  up- 
holding Bill  Glutts.  In  the  midst  of  the  discus- 
sion Jack  managed  to  regain  his  feet,  and,  leap- 

ii 


12  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

ing  forward,  he  caught  Bill  Glutts  firmly  by  both 
wrists. 

"Glutts,  you  listen  to  me,"  said  he  sternly,  look- 
ing the  bully  in  the  eyes.  "If  I  wasn't  an  officer 
at  the  Hall,  I'd  give  you  a  sound  thrashing  for 
what  you  just  did.  As  it  is,  I  expect  you  to  apolo- 
gize or  else  take  the  consequences." 

"Huh !  I  suppose  you  mean  by  that  you'll  play 
sissy  and  report  me,"  said  the  bully. 

"No,  I  won't  report  you,  but  I'll  see  to  it  that 
you  get  what  is  coming  to  you,"  answered  Jack. 

"Knowing  he  is  an  officer  and  can't  fight  you, 
you  took  a  mean  advantage  of  Jack,"  broke  in 
Gif  Garrison.  "  You  ought  to  be  thrashed  for  it, 
Glutts." 

"I  don't  think  Bill  meant  to  shove  him  down 
into  the  snow,"  put  in  Codfish,  somewhat  timidly* . 

"He  did  mean  to  do  it!"  said  Jack  quickly.  * 
"And  he'll  either  apologize  for  his  actions  or  he'll 
take  the  consequences." 

"Well,  I'll  take  the  consequences,  whatever 
they  are,"  retorted  Bill  Glutts,  with  a  sickly  grin. 
"I  know  that  race  wasn't  a  fair  one.  Come  on, 
fellows,  let's  get  back  to  the  Hall,  it's  almost  sup- 
per time,"  and  with  that  he  trudged  away,  he  and 
his  cronies  pulling  the  Yellow  Streak  behind  them. 

"He  sure  is  one  sweet-tempered  fellow,"  was 
Spouter's  comment. 


'ABOUT  THE  ROVERS  13 

"Jack,  why  didn't  you  pitch  into  him,  anyway?" 
questioned  Andy  anxiously. 

"I  didn't  have  to,"  returned  Jack  briefly.  "Just 
the  same,  I  won't  forget  the  way  he  has  acted.  If 
it  wasn't  that  I  am  captain  of  Company  C,  and' 
am  expected  not  to  fight,  I'd  have  given  him  the 
thrashing  of  his  life." 

To  the  many  young  folks  who  have  read  the 
former  volumes  in  this  series,  the  Rover  boys  will 
not  need  an  introduction.  But  for  the  benefit  of 
new  readers  a  few  words  concerning  my  char- 
acters will  be  necessary. 

In  the  first  volume,  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys 
at  School,"  I  related  how  three  brothers,  Dick, 
Tom,  and  Sam  Rover,  were  sent  to  Putnam  Hall 
Military  Academy,  where  they  made  a  great  num- 
ber of  friends,  including  a  cadet  named  Lawrence 
Colby. 

From  Putnam  Hall  the  boys  went  to  Brill  Col- 
lege, and,  after  leaving  that  institution  of  learn- 
ing, joined  their  father  in  business  in  New  York 
City,  with  offices  on  Wall  Street.  They  organized 
The  Rover  Company,  of  which  Dick  was  presi- 
dent, Tom,  secretary  and  general  manager,  and 
Sam,  treasurer. 

During  their  cadet  days  at  Putnam  Hall  the 
three  Rovers  had  become  acquainted  with  a 
number  of  charming  girls,  including  Dora 


I4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Stanhope  and  her  cousins,  Nellie  and  Grace 
Laning.  When  Dick  went  into  business  he 
made  Dora  Stanhope  his  life  partner,  and  a 
short  while  after  this  Tom  married  Nellie  Lan- 
ing and  Tom  married  Grace.  The  three 
brothers  purchased  a  fine  plot  of  ground  on 
Riverside  Drive  overlooking  the  Hudson 
River,  and  there  they  built  three  connecting 
houses,  Dick  and  his  wife  living  in  the  middle 
house,  with  Tom  on  one  side  and  Sam  on  the 
other. 

About  a  year  after  their  marriage  Dick  and 
his  wife  became  the  proud  parents  of  a  little 
son,  who  was  named  John  after  Mr.  Laning. 
This  son  was  followed  by  a  daughter,  named 
Martha,  after  her  Great-aunt  Martha,  of  Val- 
ley Brook  Farm.  Little  Jack,  as  he  was  com- 
monly called,  was  a  manly  lad  with  many  of 
the  qualities  which  made  his  father  so  success- 
ful in  life. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Tom  and  Nellie 
Rover  sprang  a  great  surprise  on  all  the  others. 
This  surprise  was  in  the  shape  of  a  pair  of 
very  lively  boy  twins,  one  christened  Ander- 
son, after  his  grandfather,  and  the  other  Ran- 
dolph, after  his  Great-uncle  Randolph  of  Val- 
ley Brook  Farm.  Andy  and  Randy,  as  the 
twins  were  always  called,  were  decidedly  ac- 


ABOUT  THE  ROVERS  15 

tive  lads,  taking  after  their  father,  "who  was 
never  still  a  minute,"  to  quote  Grandpa  Rover. 

Shortly  after  the  twins  were  born,  Sam  and 
Grace  Rover  came  along  with  a  beautiful  girl, 
named  Mary,  after  Mrs.  Laning.  Then,  a 
year  later,  the  girl  was  followed  by  a  sturdy 
boy,  who  was  called  Fred,  in  honor  of  Sam 
Rover's  old  and  well  known  school  chum,  Fred 
Garrison. 

Residing  so  close  together,  the  younger  gen- 
eration of  Rovers  were  brought  up  very  much 
like  one  big  family.  They  usually  spent  their 
winters  in  New  York  City,  and  during  the  sum- 
mers often  went  out  to  Valley  Brook  Farm, 
where  their  grandfather,  Anderson  Rover, 
still  resided  with  Uncle  Randolph  and  Aunt 
Martha. 

When  the  boys  and  girls  grew  old  enough 
they  were  at  first  sent  to  private  schools  in  the 
Metropolis.  But  soon  the  lads,  led  by  Andy 
and  Randy,  showed  a  propensity  for  "cutting" 
loose"  that  their  parents  were  compelled  to 
hold  a  consultation. 

"We'll  have  to  send  them  to  some  strict 
boarding  school — some  military  academy," 
said  Dick  Rover ;  and  so  it  was  decided. 

Lawrence  Colby,  their  old  Putnam  Hall 
chum,  had  since  that  time  become  a  colonel  ia 


j6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

the  state  militia  and  had  then  opened  a  mili- 
tary academy  called  Colby  Hall.  To  this  in- 
stition,  Jack,  Fred  and  the  twins  were  sent,  as 
related  in  detail  in  the  first  volume  of  my  sec- 
ond series,  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys  at  Colby 
Hall." 

This  military  school  was  located  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  town  of  Haven  Point  on  Clear- 
water  Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  about 
two  miles  long.  The  school  consisted  of  a 
large  stone  building  facing  the  lake.  It  was  a 
three-storied  structure  and  contained  the  class- 
rooms and  the  mess  hall,  and  also  dormitories 
and  private  rooms  for  the  students.  Besides 
the  main  building,  there  was  a  smaller  struc- 
ture occupied  by  Colonel  Colby  and  his  family 
and  some  of  the  professors,  and  also  an  up-to- 
date  gymnasium  and  boathouses  and  bathing 
pavilions. 

On  arriving  at  the  academy  the  younger 
Rovers  found  several  of  their  friends  awaiting 
them,  one  of  these  being  Dick  Powell,  the 
son  of  Songbird  Powell,  a  former  schoolmate 
of  their  fathers.  Dick  was  always  called 
Spouter  because  of  a  fondness  for  long 
speeches.  Another  cadet  was  Gif  Garrison,  a 
son  of  Fred  Garrison,  after  whom  Fred  Rover 
had  been  named.  There  was  also  Walter  Bax- 


ABOUT  THE  ROVERS  17 

ter,  a  son  of  Dan  Baxter,  who,  years  previous, 
had  been  an  enemy  of  the  older  Rovers,  but 
who  had  since  reformed  and  who  was  doing 
well. 

As  mentioned,  Colby  Hall  was  situated  about' 
half  a  mile  from  Haven  Point.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  town  was  located  Clearwater 
Hall,  a  boarding  school  for  girls.  During  a 
panic  in  a  moving  picture  theatre  Jack  and 
his  cousins  became  acquainted  with  a  number 
of  these  school  girls,  including  Ruth  Steven- 
son, May  Powell,  Alice  Strobell  and  Annie 
Larkins.  They  soon  found  out  that  May  was 
Spouter  Powell's  cousin,  and  the  whole  crowd 
of  young  people  became  friends.  Later  on 
Mary  and  Martha  Rover  became  pupils  at 
Clearwater  Hall. 

Ruth  Stevenson  had  an  old  Uncle  Barney, 
who  in  times  past  had  had  a  bitter  quarrel  with 
Ruth's  parents.  The  Rover  boys,  while  out 
hunting  one  day,  had  occasion  to  save  the  old 
man's  life.  For  this  the  old  fellow  was  ex- 
ceedingly grateful,  and  as  a  result  he  invited 
them  to  spend  their  winter  holidays  with  him,i 
which  they  did,  as  related  in  "The  Rover  Boys 
on  Snowshoe  Island." 

On  this  island  the  lads  met  two  of  their  for- 
mer enemies,  Nappy  Martell  and  Slugger 


l8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Brown,  as  well  as  Asa  Lemm,  a  discharged 
teacher  of  Colby  Hall.  The  boys  exposed  a 
plot  against  old  Uncle  Barney,  and  in  the  end 
caused  the  old  fellow's  enemies  to  leave  in  dis- 
gust. 

"I  guess  we  haven't  seen  the  last  of  Nappy 
and  Slugger,"  said  Jack  when  he  and  his 
cousins  had  left  Snowshoe  Island. 

And  he  was  right.  Nappy  and  Slugger 
turned  up  once  more,  as  related  in  the  volume 
previous  to  this,  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys 
Under  Canvas."  In  that  volume  I  told  how 
the  cadets  went  into  their  annual  encampment, 
this  being  after  a  spirited  election  for  officers 
in  which  Jack  Rover  had  been  elected  captain 
of  Company  C  and  Fred  had  been  elected  first 
lieutenant  of  the  same  command. 

Among  the  cadets  who  wished  to  become 
a  captain  was  one  named  Gabe  Werner,  a  great 
chum  at  that  time  of  Bill  Glutts.  Having 
failed  of  election,  Werner  did  all  he  could  to 
make  things  uncomfortable  for  the  Rovers, 
and  in  his  actions  he  was  seconded  by  Glutts. 
,But  in  the  end  Werner  and  Glutts  were  dis- 
covered in  some  of  their  nefarious  doings,  and, 
becoming  alarmed,  Gabe  Werner  left  the 
school  camp  early  in  the  morning  and  did  not 
return.  Glutts  was  brought  before  Captain 


ABOUT  THE  ROVERS  19 

Dale,  the  teacher  in  charge  of  the  camp,  and 
received  a  stern  lecture  and  was  deprived  of 
many  liberties  he  might  otherwise  have  en- 
joyed. He  laid  his  troubles  at  the  door  of  the 
Rovers  and  vowed  that  sooner  or  later  he 
would  pay  them  back  for  the  way  he  had  been 
treated. 

While  the  Rover  boys  were  at  Colby  Hall 
the  great  war  in  Europe  had  opened  and  our 
country  was  now  overrun  with  German  spies 
and  sympathizers.  During  their  time  at  the 
encampment  the  boys  made  several  surpris 
ing  discoveries,  and  in  the  end  helped  the  Sec-4 
ret  Service  officers  to  capture  a  hidden  Germai* 
submarine.  They  also  rounded  up  the  fathers 
of  Nappy  Martell  and  Slugger  Brown.  Mr. 
Brown  and  Mr.  Martell  were  sent  to  prison, 
while  Slugger  and  Nappy  were  marched  off  to 
a  detention  camp  in  the  South,  and  that,  for 
the  time  being,  was  the  last  the  Rovers  heard 
of  them. 

"Well,  one  thing  is  certain — we're  well  rid 
of  Slugger  and  Nappy  and  their  fathers,"  re- 
marked Jack,  as  this  news  was  brought  to 
them. 

"Yes,  and  I  guess  we're  rid  of  Gabe  Werner 
too,"  said  Fred.  "He  seems  to  have  dropped 
out  completely."  But  in  his  remark  concern- 


20  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

ing  Werner  the  young  lieutenant  was  mis- 
taken. Gabe  Werner  was  destined  to  turn  up 
in  their  path  unexpectedy  and  cause  them  not 
a  little  trouble. 

When  the  call  for  volunteers  came,  Dick 
Rover  and  Sam  had  lost  no  time  in  enlisting. 
At  first  Tom  Rover  had  been  unable  to  get 
away.  But  now  the  business  in  New  York 
City  had  been  left  in  reliable  hands,  and  all 
three  fathers  of  the  boys  were  in  the  trenches 
in  Europe  doing  their  bit  for  Uncle  Sam  They 
had  been  in  several  small  engagements,  and  so 
far  had  come  through  unwounded. 

"But  there  is  no  telling  if  they  will  come 
through  every  time,"  was  the  way  Fred  ex- 
pressed himself  anxiously. 

"Right  you  are,"  answered  Jack.  "Do  you 
know,  I  dread  to  look  at  the  lists  of  the  killed 
and  wounded  in  the  newspapers  for  fear  I'll 
see  one  of  their  names/1 

"Oh,  if  only  this  awful  war  was  over!"  put 
in  Randy. 


"BATTALION  attention !  Shoulder  arms !  For- 
ward march !" 

Boom!  Boom!  Boom,  boom,  boom!  The 
drums  beat,  and  away  marched  the  three  com- 
panies forming  the  Colby  Hall  battalion. 
They  marched  around  the  school  building,  as 
was  the  custom,  and  then  marched  into  the 
place,  put  away  their  rifles,  and  entered  the 
mess  hall. 

The  roll  call  and  brief  drill  and  march  took 
place  less  than  half  an  hour  after  the  encounter 
on  the  hill  following  the  finish  of  tlie  bobsled 
race.  Captain  Jack  and  Lieutenant  Fred  had 
lost  no  time  in  hurrying  back  to  the  school, 
and  their  chums  had  gone  with  them.  Bill 
Glutts  and  his  cronies  had  gone  ahead,  as  al-« 
ready  stated.  And  they  did  not  show  them- 
selves until  the  call  came  to  appear  on  the 
parade  ground. 

As  captain  and  lieutenant,  Jack  and  Fred 
21 


22  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

were  in  rather  a  delicate  position  when  it 
came  to  quarreling  with  the  other  cadets.  In 
the  past  Colonel  Colby  had  laid  down  the  rule 
that  there  should  be  no  fighting  at  the  Hall, 
and  this  rule  was  particularly  enforced  when  it 
came  to  officers.  Now  that  the  master  of  the 
military  academy  had  joined  the  army  and 
gone  with  the  older  Rovers  to  Europe,  Captain 
Dale,  who  was  in  general  command,  was  en- 
forcing this  rule  with  more  strictness  than  ever 
before. 

The  afternoon  spent  coasting  had  given  the 
Rovers  and  their  chums  good  appetites,  and 
they  fell  to  with  gusto  over  the  ample  supper 
provided  for  them.  Unlike  many  boarding 
schools,  the  table  at  Colby  Hall  was  always  a 
bountiful  one,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that 
the  growing  cadets  always  did  full  justice  to 
everything  that  was  set  before  them. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  Bill  Glutts, 
Jack?"  questioned  Fred,  after  the  meal  was 
over  and  the  two  were  on  their  way  to  get 
several  reference  books  from  the  school  li- 
brary. 

"I  don't  know  yet,"  was  the  young  captain's 
answer.  "He  ought  to  have  a  thrashing,  but 
you  know  how  matters  stand." 

"Of  course.     And  Jack,  we  can't  think  of 


NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE  23 

that  with  the  end  of  the  term  so  near.  You 
don't  want  to  spoil  your  record,  and  neither 
do  I." 

"It's  a  confounded  shame  that  Glutts  didn't 
leave  when  Gabe  Werner  went,"  continued  the 
oldest  Rover  boy.  "They  were  two  of  a  kind." 

"Did  you  hear  what  Andy  said — that  he 
thought  Glutts  had  a  lot  of  German  blood  in 
him?" 

"That  might  be.  His  face  looks  it,  and  the 
name  sounds  a  little  that  way  too." 

"Andy  and  Randy  both  want  to  pitch  into 
him,"  continued  the  young  lieutenant. 

"You  warn  them  not  to  do  it — at  least,  not 
until  this  term  comes  to  an  end,"  warned  Jack. 
"They  have  been  cutting  up  so  much  since  last 
September  that  their  averages  are  none  too 
high  as  it  is.  They'd  be  mighty  sorry  if  Cap- 
tain Dale  sent  home  a  bad  report  about  them. 
It  would  just  about  break  Aunt  Nellie's  heart, 
I'm  sure." 

Having  procured  the  reference  books,  the 
two  made  their  way  upstairs  to  the  rooms  ac- 
cupied  by  them.  The  Rovers  had  a  suite  of 
four  rooms,  one  of  which  was  used  as  a  sitting 
room  and  for  studying.  As  they  walked 
through  the  upper  hallway  they  passed  Nick 
Carncross  and  Bill  Glutts.  .Glutts  looked 


24  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

sourly  at  them  but  did  not  say  a  word,  and 
they  refused  to  notice  the  pair. 

"I  guess  you've  got  their  goat,  Bill,"  re- 
marked Carncross,  as  they  passed  on.  "That 
race  really  belonged  to  you,  and  they  know 
it." 

"Of  course  it  belonged  to  me,"  returned  Glutts. 
"If  they  hadn't  got  in  my  way  I'd  have  won  with 
ease.  There  isn't  a  bobsled  anywhere  around  that 
can  beat  the  Yellow  Streak." 

"I'm  glad  you  shoved  him  over  in  the  snow, 
even  if  he  is  a  captain,"  continued  Carncross. 
"He's  got  too  big  an  opinion  of  himself." 

"He  only  got  to  be  captain  by  a  fluke,  Nick. 
Gabe  Werner  should  have  had  that  office,"  con- 
tinued Glutts. 

"Is  that  why  Werner  left?"  questioned 
Carncross  curiously. 

"Oh,  no.  He  left  because  he  got  sick  of  the 
discipline  around  here.  He  said  there  was  no 
chance  for  any  fun,"  answered  Glutts. 

"Where  is  he  now?  Did  his  folks  approve  of 
his  leaving  school?" 

"Oh,  I  guess  they  didn't  care  one  way  or  the 
other.  Old  man  Werner  is  pretty  rich,  and  he 
didn't  get  his  money  by  being  educated  either. 
So  I  guess  he  doesn't  care  much  for  educa- 
tion." 


NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE  2$ 

"Does  he  let  Gabe  have  much  spending 
money  ?" 

"Quite  a  little — but,  of  course,  not  as  much 
as  Gabe  would  like  to  have.  You  know  Gabe 
is  a  good  deal  of  a  sport."  Bill  Glutts'  face  lit 
up  with  satisfaction.  "I  expect  we  are  going 
to  have  a  bang-up  time  together  during  the 
holidays." 

"Then  you  expect  to  see  him?" 

"Yes ;  we're  planning  a  trip  together." 

"Gee!     I'll  envy  you,"  returned  Carncross. 

Andy  and  Randy  had  not  yet  come  upstairs. 
Neither  could  resist  the  temptation  to  have  a 
little  fun,  and  after  supper  they  had  gone  out- 
side and  begun  to  snowball  Shout  Plunger,  the 
school  janitor,  and  Bob  Nixon,  the  chauffeur. 

"It's  all  in  fun,  you  know,"  explained  Andy, 
as  he  let  fly  a  snowball  at  the  old  janitor,  who 
was  always  called  Shout  because  he  was  so 
deaf. 

"Hi  there!  you  stop  that!"  roared  Shout. 
And  they,  when  they  continued  to  snowball 
him,  he  came  after  them  with  a  wooden  snow- 
shovel. 

"Look  out!  Here  comes  the  enemy 5"  cried 
Randy  gayly,  and  let  fly  a  snowball  which 
struck  the  upraised  snow-shovel  and  seat  a 
shower  of  loose  snow  into  the  janitors  face. 


'26  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Yoa  young  rascals!"  roared  Plunger,  and 
then  lost  his  footing  on  some  ice.  In  endeavor- 
ing to  keep  his  balance  he  sent  the  snow-shovel 
whirling  through  the  air.  It  landed  at  Andy's 
feet,  catching  that  fun-loving  youth  in  the 
shins  and  sending  him  flat  on  his  face. 

"Hurrah!  One  down!  came  from  Bob 
Nixon  good-naturedly,  and  then  the  chauffeur 
picked  up  a  large  chunk  of  snow  and  threw  it 
high  in  the  air,  to  land  directly  on  Randy's 
shoulder. 

"Great  pyramids  of  Egypt !"  gasped  Randy. 
"Is  that  a  snowslide?"  For  some  of  the  snow 
had  filled  his  ear  and  gone  down  his  neck. 

"Oh,  we  didn't  begin  this,  you  know,"  cried 
the  chauffeur  gleeefully.  "Come  on,  Shout; 
let's  show  'em  what  the  older  generation  can 
do."  And  then  he  picked  up  another  chunk 
of  snow  and  hurled  it  at  Andy,  nearly  burying 
that  youth  while  he  was  endeavoring  to  regain 
his  feet. 

"Hi!  Hi  you !"  spluttered  Andy.  "We  went 
in  for  snowballing.  We  didn't  go  in  for  ava- 
lanches." 

"When  you  start  something,  always  be  sure 
you  can  finish  it,"  admonished  Bob  Nixon. 
And  then  he  picked  up  a  third  chunk  of  snow ; 
but  before  he  could  make  use  of  it  the  Rover 


NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE  27 

twins  had  dived  out  of  sight  around  a  corner 
of  the  school  building. 

"I  guess  that's  the  time  we  got  the  worst  of 
it,"  remarked  Andy  ruefully. 

"And  maybe  we  deserved  it,"  was  Randy's 
ready  response.  "Come  on  and  snowball  some 
of  the  other  cadets." 

A  number  were  willing,  and  an  impromptu 
snowballing  battle  took  place  which  lasted  the 
best  part  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Then  one 
of  the  teachers  came  out  and  ordered  the 
youths  upstairs,  for  this  was  the  study  hour. 

On  Sundays  such  of  the  cadets  as  desired  to 
do  so  were  permitted  to  attend  one  or  another 
of  the  churches  in  Haven  Point.  All  of  the 
Rovers  went  to  church,  and  there  met,  not  only 
Mary  and  Martha,  but  also  Ruth  Stevenson, 
May  Powell,  and  some  of  the  other  girls. 

"Well,  Jack,  I  suppose  this  snowy  weather 
puts  you  in  mind  of  the  time  you  went  to  my 
Uncle  Barney's  place  on  Snowshoe  Island,'* 
remarked  Ruth  Stevenson,  with  a  bright  smile 
at  the  young  captain,  who,  of  course,  was 
dressed  in  his  best  uniform. 

"That's  what  it  does,  Ruth,"  he  answered. 
"And,  my,  what  a  good  time  we  did  have! 
How  is  your  uncle  getting  along?" 

"Very  well  indeed.     He  is  a  changed  man 


28  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

since  he  stopped  quarreling  with  my  folks  and 
since  it  has  been  proved  that  Snowshoe  Island 
is  really  and  truly  his  property." 

"I'm  glad  we  were  able  to  help  the  old  man." 

"Have  you  decided  on  what  you  intend  to 
do  during  the  coming  holidays?"  continued  the 
girl  from  Clearwater  Hall. 

"Not  exactly,  Ruth.  More  than  likely  we'll 
go  home  with  the  girls  and  spend  some  time 
with  our  mothers.  They  probably  feel  pretty 
lonely  now  that  our  dads  have  gone  to 
Europe." 

"Yes,  I  can  imagine  how  that  must  be." 

"You  girls  ought  to  come  down  with  Mary 
and  Martha." 

"We're  talking  of  doing  that,"  put  in  May 
Powell.  "You  see,  we  wanted  them  to  come 
up  to  my  house  first,  and  then  Ruth  wanted 
them.  But  as  their  mothers  are  now  all  alone 
in  New  York  they  thought  it  best  that  we 
should  spend  the  time  down  there.  We  could 
have  something  of  a  house  party,  .and  that 
would  help  cheer  the  older  folks  up." 

"A  good  idea!"  came  from  Fred.  "Do  it  by 
all  means!" 

"Yes,  you  girls  can  have  a  fine  time  in  New 
York  during  the  winter  holidays,"  added 
Randy. 


NEWS  OF  IMPORTANCE  2$ 

"I  suppose  you  boys  will  want  to  go  off 
hunting,"  said  May,  pouting  a  little.  "I  wish 
I  was  a  boy  and  could  do  that!" 

"Gee!  I  wish  we  could  go  off  hunting,  like 
we  did  that  time  at  Snowshoe  Island,"  cried 
Randy  wistfully.  "Such  an  outing  would  suit 
me  right  down  to  the  ground." 

"Gif  Garrison  said  something  a  few  days 
ago  about  going  off  on  a  hunt,"  remarked 
Fred.  "He  says  his  father  some  years  ago- 
bought  a  place  known  as  Cedar  Lodge.  He 
didn't  tell  me  very  much  about  it.  In  fact,  he 
acted  quite  mysteriously." 

"I  suppose  he  didn't  want  to  hurt  your  feel- 
ings, Fred,"  returned  Jack.  "More  than  likely 
he  knew  you  would  feel  bad  to  have  him  going 
off  for  a  good  time  up  in  the  woods  and  have 
you  and  the  rest  of  us  staying  at  home." 

Two  days  passed,  and  the  young  cadets  were  so- 
busy  getting  ready  for  the  examinations  previous 
to  the  midwinter  holidays  that  they  had  no  time 
to  pay  attention  to  anything  else.  They  heard 
that  Bill  Glutts  was  openly  boasting  that  the  Yel*> 
low  Streak  could  beat  any  bobsled  in  that  vicinity 
and  that  the  Blue  Moon  had  won  the  contest  by 
a  foul.  But  to  this  just  then  they  paid  no  atten- 
tion. 

"I'll  get  at  Bill  later— just  wait!"  was  the 


jo  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

way  Jack  expressed  himself,  and  the  others 
knew  that  the  young  captain  would  keep  his 
word. 

On  Wednesday  the  boys  received  letters 
from  home  stating  that  word  had  come  in  that 
their  fathers  were  still  in  the  trenches  in 
France.  No  serious  fighting  had  so  far  taken 
place  in  their  sector,  and  none  of  them  had 
been  wounded  and  all  were  in  the  best  of 
health. 

"That's  the  best  news  yet,"  said  Fred,  with 
satisfaction,  and  the  others  agreed  with  him. 

Gif  Garrison  had  also  received  a  letter,  and 
this  he  read  with  tremendous  satisfaction.  His 
face  was  aglow  as  he  called  the  Rover  boys  to 
him. 

"I've  got  an  important  announcement  to 
make  to  you  fellows,"  he  said.  "Let  us  go  up 
to  your  rooms  and  talk  it  over." 

"What  is  the  announcement?"  questioned 
Andy  eagerly. 

"I'll  tell  you  when  we  are  alone,"  answered 
Gif. 


CHAPTER  IV 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  CEDAR  LODGE 

"  OH,  go  ahead,  Gif,  and  get  it  off  your  chest!" 

"Don't  keep  us  waiting." 

"Has  some  one  died  and  left  you  a  fortune  ?" 

Such  were  some  of  the  remarks  made  after 
Gif  Garrison  had  said  that  he  had  an  important 
announcement  to  make  to  the  four  Rover  boys. 

"Not  another  word  until  we  get  to  your 
rooms,"  said  Gif.  "And,  Andy,  won't  you 
please  run  off  and  get  Spouter  Powell?  I 
just  saw  him  heading  for  the  gymnasium." 

"All  right,  Gif.  But  don't  you  dare  to  let 
the  others  in  on  the  secret  until  I  get  back/" 
returned  the  fun-loving  Rover  boy,  and  away 
he  sped  on  his  errand. 

A  few  minutes  later  all  of  the  lads  mentioned 
were  assembled  in  the  Rover  boys'  sitting 
room,  some  on  chairs,  one  on  a  table, 
and  two  on  a  couch.  Andy  playfully  started  to 
throw  a  pillow  at  Fred,  but  Gif  at  once  put  up 
his  hand  in  protest. 


32  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Any  horseplay,  and  I'll  call  it  all  off,"  he 
warned. 

"I'll  be  good,  Gif !"  cried  Andy  reluctantly, 
and  got  rid  of  the  pillow  by  using  it  for  a  back 
rest. 

"This  letter  is  from  my  Uncle  Louis,  who  is 
a  partner  with  my  father  in  the  ownership  of 
a  large  tract  of  land  not  far  from  the  seacoast," 
began  Gif.  "There  is  a  small  but  comfortable 
bungalow  on  it,  known  as  Cedar  Lodge.  No- 
body was  going  to  use  the  Lodge  this  winter, 
and  I  suggested  to  my  folks  and  Uncle  Louis 
that  they  allow  us  fellows  to  occupy  it  during 
the  holidays." 

"And  what  did  they  say?"  questioned  Randy 
eagerly. 

"They  said  I  could  go  there  if  I  wanted  to, 
and  I  could  take  you  Rover  boys  and  Spouter 
with  me,  provided  you  could  get  consent  to 
go." 
.  "Isn't  that  dandy!" 

"Of  course  we'll  go,  Gif.  Horses  couldn't 
hold  us  back!" 

"How  is  the  hunting  there?  Can  we  get  a 
deer  or  a  moose?" 

"How  do  you  get  there?" 

These  were  a  few  questions  hurled  at  Gif 
after  he  had  made  his  important  announce- 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  CEDAR  LODGE 


33 


ment.  He  placed  his  hands  over  his  ears  in 
despair. 

"One  question  at  a  time,  please !"  he  begged. 
"What  do  you  think  I  am,  anyhow — an  en- 
cyclopaedia? To  get  there  you  go  from  here 
to  Portview,  and  then  along  the  coast  to  a 
place  called  Timminsport.  From  Timminsport 
you  have  either  to  take  a  sleigh  or  else  hike  to 
the  camp,  which  is  about  five  or  six  miles  away. 
There  is  an  old  fellow,  named  Jed  Wallop,  who 
lives  near  the  property  in  a  little  shack  some 
distance  from  the  bungalow.  If  we  want  him 
to,  he  will  get  a  sled  and  drive  us  to  the  place, 
and  he  will  also  assist  us  in  getting  settled,  and 
in  getting  what  stores  we  may  need — that  is, 
provided  you  fellows  can  really  go." 

"You  can  count  of  me,"  declared  Spouter 
promptly.  "My  folks  said  I  could  do  as  I 
pleased  during  the  holidays,  provided  I  kept 
out  of  mischief.  And  what  mischief  could  a 
fellow  get  into  in  the  midst  of  those  grand 
primeval  forests  where  perhaps  the  woodsman 
has  never  dared  to  lay  his  axe  to  the  heart  of 
the  sturdy  oak,  and  where  the  timid  deer,  in 
fancied  freedom,  ambles  through  the  darken- 
ing glades,  and — " 

"Turn  off  the  spigot,  Spouter,  or  you'll  have 
us  flooded!"  burst  out  Randy. 


34  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Save  your  orations  for  the  day  before  elec- 
tion," came  from  Fred. 

"You  can  give  us  the  rest  of  it,  Spouter, 
when  we  are  in  camp  some  night  and  have 
nothing  to  read  and  don't  know  what  to  do,'* 
suggested  Jack. 

"That's  it — always  cutting  my  rhetorical  ef- 
fusions short,"  remarked  Spouter  reproach- 
fully. "Some  day,  when  you  are  aching  to 
have  me  make  a  speech,  you'll  find  me  dumb." 

"Tell  us  more  about  this  camp,  Gif,"  cried 
Fred. 

Thereupon  Gif  Garrison  related  all  he  knew 
concerning  the  camp,  which  was  located  on  a 
small  stream  of  water  that  in  the  summer  time 
ran  down  to  a  bay  emptying  into  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  timber  on  the 
tract,  and,  so  far  as  Gif  knew,  there  was  quite 
some  small  game. 

"I  don't  know  about  deer,"  he  continued. 
"More  than  likely  the  big  animals  have  gone 
further  north.  But  one  might  get  a  chance  at 
a  wolf  or  a  fox,  and  maybe  some  brook  mink. 
We'll  be  sure  to  get  plenty  of  rabbits  and  squir- 
rels and  ducks,  and  most  likely  some  partridges 
and  maybe  wild  turkeys.  But,  first  of  all,  you 
Rovers  have  got  to  make  sure  that  you  can 
go." 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  CEDAR  LODGE    35 

"Oh,  we'll  arrange  that  somehow,  Gif,"  said 
Jack.  "Of  course,  we'll  want  to  go  home  first 
and  see  our  folks  and  cheer  them  up  a  bit. 
They  are  pretty  lonely  now  that  our  dads  are 
over  in  France." 

"Oh,  I'm  going  home  myself  first.  But  we 
can  have  at  least  three  weeks  up  there,  because 
the  school  is  going  to  be  closed  more  than  a 
month  before  and  after  Christmas." 

Gif's  announcement  was  such  a  pleasing  one 
that  the  Rovers  found  it  hard  work  after  that 
to  settle  down  to  their  studies.  Letters  were 
at  once  written  to  their  mothers,  and  presently 
word  came  back  that  they  might  go  to  the 
camp  immediately  after  Christmas  if  they 
wanted  to  do  so.  Then  Jack  telephoned  to  his 
sister  at  Clearwater  Hall  and  got  word  back 
that  Ruth  and  May  would  go  down  to  New 
York  with  Mary  and  Martha  and  remain  there 
until  it  was  time  to  return  to  the  girls'  school. 

"It's  too  bad  we  can't  be  at  home  while  the 
girls  are  there,"  remarked  Jack  to  his  cousins. 
He  sighed  deeply. 

"You  mean  it's  too  bad  you  can't  be  there 
while  Ruth  is  there,"  put  in  Andy  slyly. 

"That's  the  time  you  struck  the  nail  on  the 
head!"  cried  Randy. 

"Humph !  you  needn't  rap  me  about  it,"  re- 


36  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

turned  the  young  captain  briefly.     "I  guess 
you'd  like  to  see  the  girls  yourselves." 

Now  that  they  knew  what  they  were  going 
to  do  during  the  midwinter  holidays,  the  Rover 
boys  and  their  churns  were  eager  to  have  the 
school  session  come  to  an  end.  But  they  did' 
not  neglect  their  studies,  nor  did  Jack  and  Fred' 
neglect  their  duties  as  officers. 

Jack  had  an  essay  to  write  on  "The  Real 
Training  of  a  Soldier,"  and  he  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  over  this. 

"Not  but  what  there  is  a  good  deal  about  it 
that  I  don't  know,"  said  Jack  to  his  cousins. 
"I  guess  dad  could  write  a  better  essay  than  I 
can  turn  out.  He's  seen  some  of  the  real  side 
of  a  soldier's  life." 

"What  wonderful  things  our  dads  will  have 
to  tell  when  they  get  back,"  said  Fred.  "That 
is,  if  they  ever  do  get  back,"  he  added  anx- 
iously. 

"Oh,  they've  got  to  come  back,  Fred! 
They've  simply  got  to!"  returned  Jack.  But 
his  face,  too,  showed  his  worry.  The  Rover 
boys  did  not  care  to  admit  it  to  each  other,  yet 
each  day  every  one  of  them  worried  over  their 
parents.  It  was  dreadful  to  think  that  one's 
father,  or  one's  beloved  uncle,  might  be  killed 
by  the  Germans,  or  even  badly  wounded. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  CEDAR  LODGE    37 

On  the  Saturday  following  the  bobsled  con- 
test the  boys  assembled  once  more  on  the  long 
Hill,  and  this  time  they  were  accompanied  by 
many  of  the  girls  from  Clearwater  Hall.  Jack 
and  his  cousins  gave  Ruth  and  the  others 
many  rides  down  the  hill,  much  to  their  mutual 
delight. 

"Here  comes  Bill  Glutts  with  his  Yellow 
Streak,"  cried  Fred  presently. 

"Here's  a  chance  to  have  another  race  with 
him,  Jack,"  said  Fatty  Hendry.  "He  says  you 
won  the  other  race  by  a  foul." 

"That's  the  talk,  Jack!"  cried  Dan  Sop- 
pinger.  "Show  him  and  the  whole  crowd  that 
you  beat  him  fairly." 

At  first  Jack  did  not  care  to  pit  himself  again 
against  Glutts.  But  there  was  so  much  talk 
that  at  length  he  consented,  but  insisted  upon 
it  that  the  whole  course  of  the  slide  must  be 
policed  by  the  cadets. 

"All  right,  we'll  do  that,"  said  Major  Ralph 
Mason,  and  then  ordered  all  the  cadets  he 
could  collect  to  station  themselves  on  each 
side  of  the  slide  from  the  top  to  where  it  ran 
out  on  the  lake. 

"Oh,  Jack,  I  hope  you  do  win  again!"  said 
Ruth  anxiously. 

"I  intend  to  do  my  best,"  he  answered. 


38  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"You  have  got  to  win,  Jack  Rover!"  cried 
his  sister  Martha.  "If  you  don't  beat  that 
great  big  clumsy  Glutts,  I'll  never  speak  to  you 
again." 

With  so  many  cadets  stationed  along  the 
course,  Bill  Glutts  felt  that  his  chances  of  win- 
ning the  race  were  diminishing.  He  had  thought 
that  he  could  crowd  Jack  as  he  had  done  before, 
but  now  Walt  Baxter  laid  down  the  law  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  could  not  be  misunderstood. 

"I  will  toss  up  a  coin,"  said  Walt,  "and  if  you 
guess  right,  Glutts,  you  can  take  your  choice  of 
sides,  and  whichever  side  you  or  Jack  Rover 
select,  that  side  you  must  stick  to  from  start 
to  finish." 

The  coin  was  tossed  up,  and  Bill  Glutts 
called  out  "tails"  and  won.  Then  he  said  he 
would  take  the  right  side  of  the  slide,  that 
which  Jack  Rover  and  his  chums  had  pre- 
viously used. 

"All  right,  then,  Glutts,"  announced  Walt. 
Now  then,  remember  that  you  have  got  to 
keep  to  the  right  all  the  way  down;  and  you, 
Jack  Rover,  must  keep  to  the  left.  If  either 
of  you  crosses  the  middle  of  the  course,  that 
one  will  be  disqualified  and  the  race  will  be 
given  to  the  other." 

"All  right,  Walt,  I  will  stick  to  the  left  from 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  CEDAR  LODGE         39 

start  to  finish;  just  watch  me  and  see,"  de- 
clared Jack. 

"And  I'll  stick  to  the  right,"  announced  Bill 
Glutts.  But  his  face  showed  anything  but  a 
happy  expression  as  he  spoke. 

Jack  had  the  same  crowd  on  board  that  he 
had  before,  but  Glutts  made  several  changes. 
He  retained  Nick  Carncross  and  Codfish,  but 
for  the  other  three  cadets  substituted  youths 
who  were  slightly  built,  and  consequently 
rather  light  in  weight. 

"He's  saving  all  the  pounds  he  can,"  whis- 
pered Randy. 

"Jack,  do  you  think  the  right  side  of  the 
course  is  better  than  the  left?"  questioned 
Gif. 

"I  don't  know.  One  looks  about  as  good  as 
the  other  to  me,"  was  the  young  captain's 
reply. 

Professor  Frank  Grawson  had  come  up  and 
was  quite  interested  in  the  proposed  contest. 

"I  used  to  do  a  lot  of  bobsledding  myself," 
said  the  professor,  who  was  well  liked  by 
nearly  all  the  cadets.  "I  used  to  have  a  home- 
made sled  which  was  my  pride  for  several  sea- 
sons. Now,  to  make  this  more  interesting,  I'll 
put  up  a  prize  for  the  winner." 

"Fine,  Professor !  Fine !"  was  the  cry. 


40  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"What's  the  prize?" 

The  teacher  thought  for  a  moment. 

"Well,  every  boy  likes  a  good  pocket  knife," 
he  said  presently.  "Now,  to  the  one  who  wins 
this  race  I'll  give  a  first-class,  four-bladed, 
buck-handled  knife.  I  saw  some  very  good 
ones  down  in  the  hardware  store  at  the  Point, 
and  I'll  get  one  Monday." 

"That's  splendid,  Professor!"  cried  Jack. 
"I'll  do  my  best  to  win  that  knife." 

"You'll  see  that  knife  coming  to  me!"  ex- 
claimed Bill  Glutts,  glaring  at  the  young  cap- 
tain. 

Walt  Baxter  now  called  for  the  contestants 
to  get  ready.  In  a  minute  more  the  two  bob- 
sleds stood  side  by  side,  each  with  its  load  of 
passengers,  and  with  Fred  ready  to  push  one 
to  the  front  and  Nick  Carncross  ready  to  shove 
the  other. 

"All  ready!"  shouted  Walt.  "One— two- 
three!  Go!" 

And  away  both  bobsleds  dashed,  and  the 
great  race  was  on. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY 

"Go  ahead,  Jack !    You've  got  to  win !" 

"Don't  let  'em  beat  you,  Bill.  Put  it  all  over 
those  Rovers." 

"Oh,  Jack,  don't  let  them  get  the  best  of 
you!"  cried  Ruth. 

"You've  got  to  win !"  screamed  Martha. 

"Here  is  where  Glutts  shows  'em  what  the 
Yellow  Streak  can  do !" 

So  the  cries  ran  on  as  the  two  bobsleds 
slowly  gathered  momentum  and  started  down 
the  long  slope  leading  to  Clearwater  Lake. 

At  the  beginning  Glutts  had  a  little  the  bet- 
ter of  it,  because  the  right  side  of  the  slide 
seemed  to  be  more  slippery  than  the  other. 
;He  was  the  first  to  gain  the  top  of  the  nearest 
rise  and  he  shot  over  this  while  Jack's  bob- 
sled was  still  climbing  the  slope. 

"Hurrah!    Bill  Glutts  is  ahead!" 

"He  said  the  Yellow  Streak  could  beat  any 
thing  in  this  vicinity." 


42  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Oh,  do  you  really  think  Glutts  will  win?" 
questioned  Ruth  anxiously,  as  she  turned  to 
Dan  Soppinger. 

"Well,  I  should  hope  not !"  answered  Dan. 

"If  he  does  win  there  will  be  no  holding  him 
down,"  put  in  Ned  Lowe,  another  chum  of  the 
Rovers.  "He'll  crow  to  beat  the  band  all  win- 
ter." 

Forward  went  the  two  bobsleds,  each  steers- 
man doing  his  best  to  guide  his  sled  where  run- 
ning might  be  the  easiest. 

Just  as  Jack  topped  the  first  rise  and  started 
to  speed  down  on  the  other  side,  he  saw  Bill 
Glutts  start  to  resume  his  old  tactics.  The 
bully  was  running  close  to  the  center  of  the 
course,  and  now  he  overlapped  the  other  side 
by  at  least  six  inches. 

"Hi,  there,  Glutts!  Get  over  on  your  side!" 
yelled  one  of  the  cadets  who  was  helping  to  po- 
lice the  course. 

"That's  right,  Bill.  Get  over,  or  you'll  be 
disqualified,"  added  another. 

"Keep  to  the  right !  Keep  to  the  right !"  was 
the  cry  from  several  others.  And  then,  knowing 
that  the  eyes  of  all  the  cadets  in  that  vicinity  were 
upon  him,  the  bully  s-lowly  steered  over  to  his  side 
of  the  course.  And  he  was  not  any  too  quick, 
for  otherwise  there  might  have  been  a  serious 


DOWN  TOWARD  THE  HIGHWAY  SHOT  THE  BLUE  MOON. 
Th»  Raver  Beys  on  a  Hunt.  P<*ge  43 


THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY      43 

disaster.  Down  the  slope  of  the  first  hill  rushed 
the  Blue  Moon.  Jack  was  on  his  side,  but  had  not 
more  than  six  inches  to  spare.  Had  Glutts  kept 
on  as  he  was  running  the  Blue  Moon  would  have 
sideswiped  the  Yellow  Streak,  and  there  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  a  serious  accident. 

"Here  comes  the  Blue  Moon!" 

"Scv,  but  they  are  gathering  some  speed !" 

"Hurrah,  the  Rovers  are  ahead!" 

"Go  on,  Glutts !  Go  on !  Don't  let  'em  beat 
you !" 

It  was  true  that  the  Blue  Moon  was  now  ahead 
and  was  slowly  but  surely  increasing  the  dis- 
tance between  the  Rovers  and  those  aboard  the 
Yellow  Streak. 

"Push  her  ahead,  Bill!  Push  her  ahead!" 
yelled  Nick  Carncross  desperately. 

"We've  got  to  win !"  cried  Codfish. 

"I'm  doing  the  best  I  can,"  muttered  Bill  Glutts 
between  his  set  teeth,  and  his  eyes  glowed  with 
hatred  as  he  saw  the  Blue  Moon  vanishing  over 
the  second  rise  of  the  course. 

After  that,  as  Fatty  Hendry  remarked,  "it 
was  all  over  but  the  shouting."  Down  toward  the 
highway  skirting  the  lake  shot  the  Blue  Moon. 
Then  it  ran  swiftly  along  the  final  lap  of  the 
course  and  came  out  on  Clearwater  Lake,  shoot- 
ing several  hundred  feet  beyond  the  finishing 


44  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

mark.  The  line  was  crossed  while  the  Yellow 
Streak  was  still  on  the  roadway  beyond  the  lake 
shore. 

"Hurrah !    The  Blue  Moon  wins !" 
"My,  but  that  was  some  run,  believe  me !" 
"What  will  Bill  Glutts  have  to  say  now?" 
"He  can't  say  this  wasn't  a  fair  race." 
The  run  for  the  Blue  Moon  had  certainly  been 
a  swift  one,  and  while  Jack  was  congratulated 
on  his  victory,  he  was  also  praised  for  the  way 
in  which  he  had  handled  his  speedy  bobsled. 

"We  certainly  came  down  fast,"  remarked 
Randy.  "I  thought  my  ears  were  going  to 
blow  right  off  my  head,"  and  this  remark 
caused  a  general  laugh. 

Glutts  had  finished  the  race  twelve  seconds 
behind  his  opponent  and  was  in  anything  but 
a  happy  frame  of  mind. 

"There  were  a  number  of  sticks  and  stones  on 
my  side  of  the  slide,  and  they  held  us  back,"  he 
protested  lamely.  "I  guess  some  of  the  fellows 
who  didn't  want  to  see  the  Yellow  Streak  win  put 
'em  there." 

"I  can't  believe  that,  Glutts,"  answered 
Major  Mason  flatly.  "I  looked  over  the 
course,  and  it  was  just  as  clear  on  one  side  as 
it  was  on  the  other." 

"Don't  be  a  sorehead,  Bill,  just  because  you 


THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY  45 

lost,"  put  in  Fatty  Hendry.  "Be  a  good  sport 
and  shake  hands  with  Jack  over  your  defeat." 

"I'll  do  as  I  please,"  roared  the  bully.  "I  don't 
need  any  advice  from  you.  You  fellows  are  all 
against  me."  And  with  this  remark  he  turned  his 
back  on  the  crowd,  and  soon  he  and  his  cronies 
were  making  their  way  up  along  the  lake  shore, 
dragging  the  Yellow  Streak  behind  them. 

"It  was  a  well  won  race,  Captain  Rover," 
said  Professor  Grawson.  "You  can  be  proud 
of  being  the  possessor  of  such  a  speedy  bob- 
sled. On  Monday  I  shall  take  great  pleasure 
in  getting  that  knife  for  you." 

"Thank  you,  Professor.  And  I'll  take  great 
pleasure  in  accepting  the  knife,"  said  Jack, 
with  a  grin. 

"Well,  that's  the  time  you  squared  up  with 
Bill  Glutts,"  remarked  Spouter,  after  the  fun 
on  Long  Hill  had  come  to  an  end  and  the  boys 
had  said  good-bye  to  the  girls  and  were  on  the 
return  to  Colby  Hall.  "You  certainly  paid  him 
back  for  shoving  you  into  that  snowbank." 

"I  don't  know  whether  I  did  or  not,"  an- 
swered the  young  captain.  "Evidently  Glutts 
doesn't  know  when  he's  had  enough.  I  sup- 
pose he'll  be  more  bitter  now  than  ever  against 
me." 

"Oh,  I  wouldn't  worry  about  Glutts,"  put 


46  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

in  Gif.  "He's  nothing  bat  a  great  big  over* 
grown  butcher  boy."  He  said  this  because  it 
was  a  well-know  fact  that  Bill  Glutts  was  the 
only  son  of  a  wholesale  butcher  who  had  made 
a  small  fortune  in  manufacturing  and  selling 
frankfurters. 

"I  don't  see  how  a  fellow  like  Nick  Carn- 
cross  can  take  up  with  him,"  remarked  Fatty 
Hendry. 

"I  know  why  he  does  that,"  came  from  Ned 
Lowe.  "Bill  has  had  plenty  of  money  to  spend 
lately — an  uncle  or  somebody  sent  him  quite  a 
wad — and  Nick's  pocketbook,  I  imagine,  is 
rather  thin." 

"Say,  Ned,  come  around  to  our  rooms  to- 
night and  give  us  some  music  just  to  celebrate 
this  glorious  event !"  cried  Fred,  for  Ned  Lowe 
was  quite  a  performer  on  the  mandolin  and 
usually  had  some  very  funny  songs  to  sing. 

"All  right,  I'll  be  glad  to  come,"  answered 
the  mandolin  player.  "Any  eats?" 

"Oh,  maybe  we  can  scrape  up  something," 
answered  Randy.  The  idea  of  a  little  spread 
on  the  quiet  appealed  to  him. 

The  idea  of  a  little  spread  appealed  to  the 
others,  too,  and  as  a  consequence  it  was  ar- 
ranged between  the  Rovers  and  their  chums 
that  two  of  them  should  go  to  Haven  Point  for 


THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY  47 

some  things  for  the  spread.  This  task  was 
delegated  to  Andy  and  Fred,  and  they  hurried 
off  early  in  the  evening,  returning  with  sev- 
eral packages  containing  sandwiches,  cake, 
candy,  nuts  and  a  large  hand  of  bananas.  In 
the  meantime,  the  other  Rover  boys  and  Ned 
Lowe  had  gathered  in  Gif  Garrison's  room,  and 
there  enjoyed  themselves  singing  and  listen- 
ing to  Ned's  playing  of  the  mandolin. 

As  soon  as  the  monitors  had  gone  their 
rounds  to  see  that  everything  was  quiet  for 
the  night,  Spouter,  Gif,  Fatty,  Ned,  Dan,  Walt 
and  several  others  found  their  way  to  the 
Rover  boys'  suite. 

"Now,  don't  make  too  much  noise,"  ad- 
monished Fred,  who  let  them  it.  "Remember 
Bill  Glutts  and  his  gang  will  be  only  too  glad 
to  find  out  what  is  going  on  and  report  us." 

"And  we  don't  want  to  get  any  black  marks 
when  it's  so  near  the  end  of  the  term,"  added 
Jack. 

"Right-o,"  came  from  Andy. 

The  new  arrivals  proceeded  to  make  them- 
selves at  home,  and  then  the  Rovers  passed 
around  the  good  things  which  had  been  ob- 
tained. 

"Say,  this  is  all  right,"  declared  Walt, 
munching  a  tongue  sandwich. 


48  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Couldn't  be  beat,"  came  from  Gif,  who  had 
his  mouth  full  of  layer  cake. 

"  Here,  Fatty,  have  some  nuts !"  cried  Andy 
gayly,  and  let  several  almonds  slide  down  the 
fat  youth's  collar. 

"Hi,  there!  Let  up!"  cried  Fatty.  "I  don't 
eat  nuts  that  way,"  and  he  made  a  pass  at 
Andy  with  a  pillow. 

"No  horseplay,  now!  Cut  it  out,  Andy," 
warned  Jack. 

After  that  the  cadets  conversed  in  low  tones 
and  at  the  same  time  enjoyed  the  many  good 
things  to  eat. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  those 
banana  skins,  Andy?"  questioned  his  twin,  as 
he  saw  the  youth  place  several  of  the  skins  in 
a  bit  of  newspaper. 

"Oh,  I've  got  a  plan  to  use  them,"  was  the 
answer. 

"Well,  if  there  is  any  fun  on  foot,  let  me  in 
on  it,"  went  on  Randy  promptly. 

"I  was  thinking  we  might  send  some  of  these 
good  things  over  to  Bill  Glutts,  Codfish  and 
Nick  Carncross,"  went  on  the  fun-loving 
Rover.  "It  might  make  'em  feel  better  over 
their  defeat." 

"What !  Give  up  some  of  these  good  eats  to 
them  ?"  demanded  Fred. 


THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY  49 

"Well,  I  don't  know  whether  they  would  be 
very  good  eats  or  not,"  answered  Andy,  clos- 
ing one  eye  suggestively.  "Do  you  see  what 
I've  got  in  this  little  package?"  he  went  on, 
bringing  a  small  paper  bag  from  his  pocket. 
"Smell  it." 

Fred  did  so,  but  with  caution.  Then  he  gave 
a  sudden  sneeze. 

"Cayenne  pepper!" 

"Right  you  are,  Freddie  boy!  How  did 
you  guess  it?"  and  Andy  grinned  broadly. 

"Say,  that's  the  talk!"  burst  out  Randy. 
"Let's  send  them  over  a  few  sandwiches  and 
a  couple  of  slices  of  cake,  all  well  doctored 
with  cayenne  pepper." 

"They'll  be  suspicious,  especially  if  you  take 
them  over,"  remarked  Jack.  "We  ought  to 
get  some  outsider  to  do  the  job." 

"I'll  do  it  if  you  want  me  too,"  responded 
Walt  Baxter  promptly.  "I  don't  love  those 
chaps  any  more  than  you  do.  You  just  fix  up 
some  sandwiches  and  the  cake,  and  I'll  go 
around  and  explain  that  Dan  and  Ned  and 
Fatty,  and  some  of  the  rest  of  us,  are  giving 
the  Rovers  a  little  spread  in  honor  of  the  vic- 
tory and  that  we  don't  think  it  any  more  than 
right  that  they  should  have  some  of  the  good 
things." 


So 

So  it  was  decided,  and  a  little  while  later  the 
cover  of  a  pasteboard  box  was  fixed  up  as  a 
tray,  containing  several  tempting  looking 
sandwiches,  some  slices  of  layer  cake,  and  two 
bananas.  Then  Walt  Baxter  marched  off  with 
the  things  in  the  direction  of  the  room  occu- 
pied by  Bill  Glutts. 

"Come  on  and  listen  to  what  happens,"  said 
Andy,  and  presently,  having  slipped  off  their 
shoes,  he  and  the  others  followed  Walt  down 
the  corridor,  but  kept  well  in  the  background. 

When  Baxter  arrived  at  Bill  Glutts'  room 
he  heard  low  voices,  and  was  much  pleased  to 
learn  that  Glutts  was  talking  to  Nick  Cam- 
cross.  When  he  knocked  lightly  on  the  door 
there  was  an  uneasy  stir  within. 

"Maybe  it's  one  of  the  monitors  come  back," 
whispered  Carncross  uneasily. 

"Who  is  there?"  questioned  Glutts  sharply. 

"It's  I — Walt  Baxter,"  was  the  answer. 
"Open  the  door,  Glutts.  I've  got  something 
good  for  you  fellows." 

The  door  was  opened  cautiously,  and  Walt 
explained  his  errand,  at  the  same  time  holding 
out  the  improvised  tray. 

"I  don't  know  that  we  want  anything,"  said 
Glutts  rather  sourly. 

"Oh,  well,  we  might  as  well  take  it,"  put  in 


THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BULLY  51 

Carncross  hastily.  He  was  a  growing  cadet, 
and  always  hungry. 

"We'd  like  to  have  Codfish  have  some  of 
this,  too,"  said  Walt.  "Will  you  see  that  he 
gets  some?" 

"Sure!"  answered  Carncross  readily.  "He's 
right  across  the  hall.  I'll  call  him." 

In  a  few  minutes  more  Codfish  came  from 
his  room  clad  in  his  pajamas  and  slippers.  He 
sneaked  over  into  the  room  occupied  by  Glutts 
and  Carncross,  and  then  the  three  began  divid- 
ing the  things  Walt  had  brought  for  them. 

"I'll  have  to  go  now,"  said  Walt  hastily, 
"Remember,  this  is  with  regards  from  our 
whole  crowd,"  he  added  significantly. 

"Thanks,"  muttered  Carncross  briefly,  while 
Glutts  and  Codfish  said  nothing. 

Then  the  bully  closed  the  door  and  he  and 
his  cronies  prepared  to  enjoy  the  things  which 
had  been  brought  to  them. 


CHAPTER  VI 

AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATRE 

"THERE'LL  be  something  doing  in  a  minute  or 
two,"  murmured  Randy,  as  he  and  the  others 
came  to  a  halt  before  Bill  Glutts'  door. 

"You  fellows  be  careful  and  don't  step  on 
any  of  these,"  whispered  Andy,  as  he  bent 
down  and  laid  the  banana  skins  he  had  saved 
on  the  floor.  "Splendid  doormat  for  them 
when  they  come  out,"  he  added,  grinning. 

Fortunately,  those  within  the  room  were  so 
busy  dividing  the  sandwiches  and  cake  that 
they  paid  no  attention  to  what  was  going  on 
outside. 

"Rather  nice  of  them  to  remember  us,"  re- 
marked Codfish.  "Thank  you,  I  don't  think  I 
care  for  any  sandwiches,  but  I'll  take  that  piece 
of  cake  instead." 

"Me  for  a  sandwich,  Bill,"  murmured  Cam- 
cross.  "I'm  quite  hungry." 

Then  the  three  began  to  munch  away  on  the 
sandwiches  and  the  cake  at  a  lively  rate. 

52 


AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATER       53 

All  had  their  mouths  full  when  suddenly 
Codfish  began  to  splutter. 

"Hello!  what's  the  matter?"  cried  Glutts. 
"Trying  to  swallow  too  much  at  once?" 

"You  don't  want  to  make  a  pig  of  yourself, 
Codfish,"  admonished  Carncross. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  cried  the  sneak  of  the  school 
"Oh!" 

"What's  wrong?" 

"Oh,  I'm  burning  up !  Oh,  they  must  have 
poisoned  me !" 

"Gee !  do  you  suppose  they  put  something  in 
that  cake?"  cried  Carncross,  in  sudden  alarm. 

"Oh,  my  mouth  is  on  fire!"  groaned  Cod- 
fish. 

To  this  neither  Glutts  nor  Carncross  made 
any  answer.  Each  was  beginning  to  feel  a 
sudden  strange  sensation  on  his  tongue  and  in 
his  throat.  Both  began  to  feel  as  if  their 
mouths  were  burning  up. 

"It's  something  they've  put  in  the  eats!" 
exclaimed  Glutts.  "They're  trying  to  poison 
us,  or  something!" 

"It's  pepper!  That's  what  it  is — cayenne 
pepper !"  came  from  Codfish.  "Oh,  give  me  a 
drink  of  water,  or  something !  This  is  dread- 
ful!" 

The  sneak  made  a  dash  across  the  room  to 


54  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

where  a  water  pitcher  stood  on  a  stand  with 
a  glass  beside  it.  But  the  pitcher  proved  to  be 
empty. 

"My  gracious,  this  is  terrible!"  spluttered 
Carncross,  and  began  to  cough. 

In  the  meantime  Glutts  smelled  of  the  food 
that  remained  on  the  improvised  tray,  and  sud- 
denly gave  a  loud  sneeze,  followed  by  several 
others. 

"Hurrah!  they  are  enjoying  it  all  right 
enough,"  remarked  Jack,  in  a  low  tone. 

"I've  got  to  have  a  drink !"  yelled  Carncross 
recklessly.  "Gee !  I'm  burning  up  clean  from 
my  mouth  to  my  stomach !" 

"Your  no  worse  off  than  I  am,"  spluttered 
Glutts.  "Oh,  just  wait  until  I  get  hold  of  that 
Walt  Baxter!" 

"It  was  the  whole  bunch  that  did  it.  I'll  bet 
the  trick  was  gotten  up  by  those  Rovers !" 

The  door  was  flung  open,  and  all  of  the  oc- 
cupants of  the  room  dashed  out  into  the  hall- 
way, bent  upon  getting  to  the  nearest  bath- 
room or  water  cooler  for  a  drink.  Not  one  of 
them  noticed  the  slippery  banana  skins  spread! 
out  on  the  floor,  and  on  the  instant  Bill  Glutts 
went  sliding  along  and  came  down  flat  on  his 
back.  Carncross  did  likewise,  Codfish  trip- 
ping over  him  and  pitching  headlong. 


AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATER       55 

"Say!  what's  this?"  exploded  Glutts.  "Oh, 
my  back !  I  guess  I've  broken  my  shoulder." 

"They  must  have  soaked  the  floor,"  came 
from  Carncross.  "No !  It's  banana  skins,"  he 
added,  in  deep  disgust.  "Say,  Codfish,  take 
your  feet  off  my  stomach,  will  you?" 

"I — I  couldn't  help  falling  over  you,  you 
went  down  so  suddenly,"  apologized  the  sneak. 
"Oh  dear !  let  me  get  a  drink  of  water — I'm  all 
on  fire  inside." 

The  Rovers  and  their  chums  had  retreated 
to  a  distance,  and  this  was  wise,  for,  had  Glutts 
and  Carncross  been  able  to  get  hold  of  them, 
there  would  certainly  have  been  a  fight.  But 
as  it  was,  the  bully  and  his  cronies  passed  down 
a  back  corridor  to  the  nearest  bathroom,  where 
they  proceeded  to  wash  out  their  mouths  and 
get  a  long  drink. 

"Now  we'd  better  get  back  to  our  rooms  and 
get  into  bed  as  soon  as  possible,"  said  Jack. 
"They  may  report  us,  and  some  of  the  profes- 
sors may  come  around  to  investigate." 

"Let  them  come !  We'll  all  be  asleep  like  sq 
many  innocent  lambs,"  remarked  Randy. 

"They'll  find  that  I've  been  asleep  for  the 
last  two  hours,"  added  Walt  Baxter,  and  at 
this  the  others  had  to  smile. 

The  crowd  separated,  and  the  four  Rovers 


56  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

returned  to  their  rooms,  where  they  lost  no 
time  in  getting  rid  of  all  the  evidences  of  the 
feast.  Then  they  undressed,  turned  out  the 
lights,  and  crept  into  their  beds. 

"I  don't  believe  they'll  dare  to  report  this/* 
whispered  Andy  to  his  twin.  And  in  this  sur- 
mise the  fun-loving  Rover  was  correct.  Glutts 
and  his  cronies  did  a  good  deal  of  grumbling, 
but  there  the  matter,  for  the  time  being, 
ended. 

"But  I'll  get  square  some  day!  You  just 
wait  and  see !"  Glutts  told  the  others. 

The  school  term  was  now  drawing  to  an 
end,  and  it  was  definitely  announced  that,  ow- 
ing to  the  WW  conditions,  Colby  Hall  would 
remain  closed  for  a  period  of  six  weeks  for  the 
winter  holidays.  This  would  give  the  Rovers 
and  their  chums  a  full  month's  vacation  after 
New  Year's. 

"And  what  a  good  time  we  will  have  up  at 
Cedar  Lodge !"  cried  Fred. 

"It  certainly  was  grand  of  Gif  to  ask  us  to 
go  up  there  with  him  and  Spouter,"  added 
Jack. 

The  Rovers  and  their  chums,  and  especially 
Walt  Baxter,  kept  a  close  eye  on  Bill  Glutts 
and  his  cronies.  But  beyond  scowling  at  them 
whenever  they  passed,  the  bully  did  nothing 


AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATER       57 

regarding  the  peppered  food  which  had  been 
presented. 

"He's  laying  low  for  something,  I  suppose," 
said  Walt.  "However,  I'm  not  going  to 
worry/ 

One  day  he  received  a  "soaker"  of  a  snow- 
ball in  his  left  ear  while  hurrying  to  the  gym- 
nasium. He  did  not  know  who  threw  the 
missle,  but  was  satisfied  in  his  mind  that  it 
came  from  either  Glutts  or  Carncross. 

The  examinations  for  the  term  were  held, 
and  much  to  the  Rover  boys'  satisfaction  all 
acquitted  themselves  creditably.  Spouter  and 
Gif  did  very  well  too,  and  were  equally  elated. 

"Let  us  go  down  to  town  this  evening  and 
celebrate,"  suggested  Jack  that  afternoon.  "I 
think  Captain  Dale  will  let  us  go,  and  I  under- 
stand they  are  giving  a  very  good  war  picture 
at  Mr.  Falstein's  moving  picture  theater." 

"That  will  suit  me,"  answered  Fred. 

The  matter  was  talked  over  by  a  number 
of  the  cadets,  and  they  went  to  see  Captain. 
Dale  about  it ;  and  as  a  result  nine  of  them  set 
out  for  Haven  Point,  where  was  located  the 
moving  picture  theater  at  which  Jack  and  his 
cousins  first  met  the  girls  from  Clearwater 
Hall. 

"This  looks  like  a  pretty  good  picture,"  re- 


58  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

marked  Gif,  as  he  pointed  to  one  advertised  on 
the  billboards.  "A  real  war  play  with  some 
of  the  scenes  taken  at  the  front." 

"Either  at  the  front  or  on  the  Hackensack 
Meadows,"  remarked  Randy  dryly.  "They 
tell  me  that  more  than  three-fourths  of  those 
so-called  war  pictures  are  faked  up." 

"Well,  you  wouldn't  expect  the  moving 
picture  actors  to  go  right  out  in  the  middle  of 
a  battlefield  and  perform,  would  you?"  queried 
Jack. 

"Here's  a  good  comic,  too!"  put  in  Fatty 
Hendry.  "That  suits  me  all  right.  I  like  a  good 
laugh." 

"Fatty,  you  ought  to  go  in  the  movies,"  re- 
marked Fred.  "You  would  make  a  hit  as  the 
Living  Skeleton." 

"He  would  unless  his  face  broke  the 
camera,"  added  Ned  Lowe. 

"I  understand  some  of  those  fat  fellows  in 
the  movies  get  a  couple  of  hundred  dollars  a 
week  for  acting,"  said  Fatty.  "I  wouldn't 
mind  doing  some  of  those  stunts  myself  at  that 
price." 

The  cadets  purchased  their  tickets  and  were 
soon  inside  the  showhouse.  An  educational 
film  was  being  thrown  on  the  screen,  and  they 
were  much  interested  in  seeing  the  details  of 


'AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATER       59 

tanning  leather  and  making  leather  belts, 
handbags,  and  shoes. 

"Gee!  how  easy  it  is  to  learn  about  these 
things  in  a  moving  picture,"  remarked  Gif. 

"What  a  pity  it  is  they  can't  teach  a  fellow 
algebra  and  geometry  in  the  same  way," 
sighed  Randy. 

The  educational  film  was  followed  by  the 
war  play,  and  whether  this  was  given  with 
faked-up  backgrounds  or  not,  it  proved  to  be 
a  very  interesting  production,  especially  to  the 
Rover  boys.  There  were  pictures  of  life  in 
the  soldiers'  camps  and  on  the  transports 
bound  for  Europe,  and  then  scenes  of  life  in 
the  French  trenches,  culminating  in  a  terrific 
bombardment  by  big  cannons,  and  then  a 
thrilling  charge  over  No-Man's  Land. 

"Gee,  isn't  that  immense !"  murmured  Fred. 
"Think  of  dad  being  in  such  a  charge  as  that !" 

"It  brings  the  war  pretty  close,  doesn't  it, 
Fred?"  asked  Jack. 

The  scenes  of  the  mighty  conflict  not  alone 
thrilled  the  Rover  boys  but  also  sobered  them, 
especially  when  there  came  a  picture  of  the 
dead  and  the  dying,  with  the  ambulances  rush- 
ing hither  and  thither  to  take  the  wounded  to 
the  field  hospitals. 

Poor  Fred  felt  the  tears  coming  into  his 


6o  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

eyes,  and  was  glad  that  the  moving  picture 
house  was  rather  dark,  so  that  he  might  use 
his  handkerchief  without  being  noticed. 

The  war  picture  was  followed  immediately 
by  one  depicting  the  trials  and  tribulations  of 
a  fat  man  who  obtained  a  position  as  a  bell- 
boy in  a  country  hotel.  He  did  some  wonder- 
ful stunts,  and  managed  to  break  up  a  great 
deal  of  crockeryware  and  innumerable  pies, 
and  this  set  all  the  cadets,  as  well  as  the  ma- 
jority of  the  audience,  to  roaring  with 
laughter. 

"I  guess  those  fellows  earn  their  money," 
remarked  Spouter  to  Fatty.  "Just  think  of  be- 
ing slammed  around  in  front  of  the  camera 
like  that !" 

"Yes.  And  think  of  having  three  or  four 
pies  plastered  all  over  your  face,"  returned  the 
stout  youth.  "I  guess,  after  all,  I'd  rather  go 
into  ordinary  business." 

"I  imagine  some  of  those  so-called  stunts  are 
only  trick  pictures — I  mean  those  things  like 
climbing  up  the  side  of  a  house  and  holding 
on  to  the  top  of  a  church  steeple,"  remarked 
Jack.  "Just  the  same,  those  moving  picture 
actors  have  to  risk  their  lives  more  than  once, 
^especially  when  they  take  wild  rides  on  horse- 


AT  THE  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATER       6l 

back   or  in  automobiles,   or  get  in   railroad 
smash-tips." 

Immediately  following  the  comic  picture,  all 
the  lights  in  the  theater  were  turned  on  and 
a  gentleman  stepped  on  the  stage  to  address 
the  audience. 

"I  wonder  what  he's  going  to  talk  about," 
whispered  Randy. 

"Liberty  Loan,  or  something  like  that,  I 
suppose,"  answered  his  twin. 

He  was  right.  There  was  a  new  drive  on  to 
raise  money  for  the  Government  to  be  used  for 
war  purposes,  and  this  gentleman,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  committee,  had  come  forth  to 
urge  every  man  and  woman  in  the  audience  to 
invest  in  Liberty  Bonds. 

"That  is  what  my  father  was  doing  in  and 
around  New  York  before  he  went  to  war," 
explained  Andy  to  Walt  Baxter.  "He  made 
quite  a  success  ot  it,  too.  He  was  on  a  whole 
lot  of  committees." 

"And  he  did  a  lot  of  work  for  the  Red  Cross, 
too,"  added  Randy. 

While  the  lights  were  turned  on  the  cadets 
had  a  chance  to  look  around  the  showhouse.» 
They  thought  that  possibly  some  of  the  girls 
from  Clearwater  Hall  might  be  present,  but 
they  were  disappointed. 


£2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

The  talk  about  Liberty  Bonds  had  come  to 
an  end,  and  several  men  and  women  were  pass- 
ing through  the  audience  trying  to  get  sub- 
scribers for  the  bonds  when  half  a  dozen  new- 
comers entered  the  moving  picture  theater. 
One  of  the  number  was  in  cadet  uniform, 
and  as  he  came  down  the  aisle  and  took  a  seat 
on  the  other  side  of  the  showhouse,  Jack 
caught  Fred  by  the  arm. 

"Look  who's  here,  will  you?"  he  whispered 
excitedly. 

"Why,  it's  Bill  Glutts !"  returned  Fred. 

"Exactly!  And  do  you  see  who  is  with 
him?" 

"No.    I  can't  make  out.    Who  is  it?" 

"Gabe  Werner!" 

"Gabe  Werner !    Are  you  sure,  Jack  ?" 

"Positive !  I  saw  him  full  in  the  face  just  be- 
fore he  sat  down." 

Soon  the  lights  in  the  showhouse  went  out 
once  more,  and  the  moving  picture  perform- 
ance continued. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   END    OF   THE   TERM 

"WHAT  can  Gabe  Werner  be  doing  around 
here?"  questioned  Randy,  who  had  heard  the 
conversation  between  his  two  cousins. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  answered  Jack. 
"He  doesn's  live  anywhere  in  this  vicinity,  and 
I  thought  after  he  left  the  school  he  went 
home." 

"Evidently  Glutts  must  have  known  about  his 
being  here,  otherwise  they  wouldn't  be  to- 
gether," said  Andy. 

Jack  stood  up  so  that  he  might  get  a  better 
view  of  the  other  side  of  the  showhouse.  He 
noticed  several  vacant  seats  directly  behind 
those  occupied  by  Glutts  and  Werner. 

"I'm  going  to  slip  over  there  just  as  soon  as 
the  lights  are  turned  down,"  he  said  to  Fred. 
"If  they  are  hatching  out  any  mischief  per- 
haps we'll  hear  something  worth  listening  to." 

"I'll  go  with  you,"  was  the  ready  reply. 

The  pair  explained  to  the  others  what  they 
63 


64  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

were  about  to  do,  and  then  slipped  out  of 
their  seats  and  made  their  way  to  the  back  of 
the  moving  picture  theater.  Then,  when  the 
lights  were  being  turned  out,  they  moved  for- 
ward and  slipped  into  two  seats  directly  be- 
hind Glutts  and  Werner  without  being  noticed 
by  the  two  bullies. 

The  educational  film  was  now  being  shown 
again,  and  this  caused  Glutts  to  give  a  snort 
of  disgust. 

"I  don't  care  for  that  sort  of  stuff,"  said  the 
wholesale  butcher':;  son.  "I  wish  they  would 
put  on  the  war  play.  Tell  me  some  more  about 
this  scheme  you've  got  for  spending  the  winter 
holidays." 

"Oh,  it's  a  dandy  scheme,  all  right,  Bill,"  re- 
sponded Werner.  And  then  he  began  a  de- 
scription of  a  winter's  camp  and  told  how  he 
had  permission  to  go  there  and  how  he  wanted 
Glutts  to  go  with  him. 

While  Gabe  Werner  was  speaking  some 
people  sitting  next  to  him  had  arisen  and  were 
trying  to  get  out.  Gabe  and  Bill  arose,  and  as 
they  did  so  the  former  turned  around  and 
caught  sight  of  the  two  Rovers. 

"Say!  what  do  you  know  about  this?"  he 
cried  in  astonishment. 

"Jack  Rover  and  Fred  Rover!"  murmured 


THE  END  OF  THE  TERM  65 

Glutts,  and  his  face  likewise  betrayed  astonish- 
ment. 

"Did  you  fellows  follow  us  into  the  theater?" 
demanded  Werner. 

"We  certainly  did  not,"  returned  Fred 
quickly.  "We  were  in  the  theater  long  before 
you  came  in." 

"Huh!"  Werner  was  stumped  for  a  moment. 
"I  didn't  notice  them  here,  did  you?"  he  ques- 
tioned his  crony. 

"If  I  had  I  should  have  taken  a  seat  else- 
where," was  Glutts'  ready  reply.  He  glared 
at  the  Rovers.  "I  suppose  you  have  been 
listening  to  everything  we  said." 

"If  you  don't  want  to  be  heard  you  had  bet- 
ter not  talk  in  a  place  like  this,"  replied  Jack. 

"I  don't  care  what  they  did  hear,"  grumbled 
Werner.  "I'm  not  ashamed  of  what  I  am  do- 
ing or  intend  to  do." 

"If  I  were  you,  Glutts,  I'd  cut  Werner,"  ad- 
vised Fred.  "Captain  Dale  won't  give  you  any 
credit  for  sticking  to  him  after  what  happened 
at  the  encampment." 

"I  suppose  you  are  going  to  tell  Captain 
Dale  you  saw  me  with  him,"  retorted  Glutts. 

"I  shan't  say  a  word  unless  I  am  ques- 
tioned." 

"I  haven't  forgotten  what  happened  at  the 


66  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

encampment,"  said  Gabe  Werner,  turning  to 
Jack.  "Some  day  I'm  going  to  square  ac- 
counts with  you." 

"When  that  time  comes  I  think  I'll  be  able 
to  defend  myself,  Werner,"  answered  the 
young  captain  coldly. 

By  this  time  a  number  of  people  in  the 
audience  were  turning  around,  evidently  an- 
noyed by  the  conversation.  One  heavy-set 
man  turned  back  and  tapped  Werner  on  the 
shoulder. 

"Say,  if  you  fellows  want  to  hold  a  talk- 
fest,  go  outside  and  do  it,"  he  growled.  "We 
want  to  look  at  the  pictures." 

"Come  ahead,  Jack,"  whispered  Fred.  "It 
won't  do  us  any  good  to  stay  here,  now  that 
Glutts  and  Werner  have  discovered  our 
presence." 

"Right  you  are,"  was  the  answer.  And  a 
moment  later  the  two  Rovers  slipped  out  of 
their  seats  and  made  their  way  to  the  rear  of 
the  showHbuse.  Here  they  were  joined  by 
the  others  of  their  crowd;  and  all  went  out- 
side and  across  the  street  to  a  drugstore, 
where  Jack  treated  the  others  to  hot  chocolate 
soda. 

"They  are  hatching  out  something,  that  is 
sure,"  remarked  Jack. 


THE  END  OF  THE  TERM  67 

"As  near  as  I  could  make  out,  Werner  is  go- 
ing off  into  the  woods  on  a  hunt  and  wants 
Glutts  to  go  with  him,"  returned  Fred.  "I 
wonder  where  they  are  going?" 

No  one  could  answer  that  question,  and 
presently  the  crowd  began  to  talk  of  other 
things,  and  especially  of  the  war  play  they  had 
just  witnessed. 

"Gosh!  but  a  play  like  that  brings  the  war 
pretty  close  to  a  fellow,"  said  Randy,  with  a 
sigh. 

"Makes  a  fellow  think  of  how  our  dads  are 
making  out  over  there,  doesn't  it?"  said  Fred. 

"When  they  showed  those  ambulance 
scenes  with  all  the  dead  and  dying  lying 
around  it  gave  me  the  cold  shivers,"  came 
from  Andy.  "I  tell  you  what — war  is  a  ter- 
rible thing." 

"Yes,  and  you  have  got  to  see  something 
like  that  to  realize  how  really  terrible  it  is," 
put  in  Jack. 

Several  days  later  the  term  at  Colby  Hall 
came  to  an  end.  There  was  something  of  an 
entertainment,  with  prize  speaking  in  which 
Spouter  distinguished  himself,  and  then  came 
the  final  drill  and  parade  around  the  campus. 
Following  this  the  cadets  indulged  in  several 
snowball  fights  and  in  quite  some  horseplay. 


68  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

and  then  rushed  off  to  their  rooms  to  pack 
their  suitcases  and  other  baggage  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  depart  for  home  in  the  early  morning. 

"Wow!  but  it  feels  good  to  know  I  haven't 
got  to  look  at  a  grammar  or  an  algebra  for 
the  next  few  weeks,"  cried  Randy,  with  satis- 
faction. 

"Say !  it  makes  me  feel  as  happy  as  a  clown 
in  a  circus,"  declared  Andy,  and,  in  high 
spirits,  he  began  a  jig  and  ended  by  turning  a 
flip-flap  over  one  of  the  beds.  Then  he  and 
his  twin  indulged  in  a  pillow  fight,  in  which 
Fred  joined. 

"Hi,  you  fellows!  stop  your  rumpus,"  cried 
Jack,  who  was  trying  to  pack  his  suitcase. 
"You  keep  on,  and  you'll  have  the  ceiling  o£ 
the  floor  below  down." 

"Can't  help  it!"  cried  Andy  gayly.  "We've 
got  to  break  loose  once  in  a  while,"  and  he 
playfully  landed  a  cake  of  soap  in  the  open 
suitcase. 

"I'll  soap  you!"  cried  the  young  captain, 
and,  taking  the  article  in  question,  he  made 
a  leap  over  the  bed,  caught  his  cousin  by  the 
neck,  and  allowed  the  cake  of  soap  to  slip 
down  Andy's  back. 

"Great  salt  mackerel!"  ejaculated  the  fun- 
loving  Rover,  and,  pulling  his  coat  tight,  he 


THE  END  OF  THE  TERM  69 

arched  his  back.  "Anybody  notice  the  camel's 
hump?" 

"It  isn't  a  hump,  Andy.  It's  only  a  wart  on 
your  backbone,"  answered  his  twin. 

"Well,  hump  or  wart,  it  isn't  going  to  stay 
there  very  long,"  remarked  the  other,  and  im- 
mediately proceeded  to  stand  on  his  hands, 
shaking  his  body  in  such  a  manner  that  pres- 
ently the  soap  rattled  out  on  the  floor.  Then 
quietness  was  restored  for  the  time  being,  and 
the  Rovers  continued  their  packing. 

A  conference  was  held  with  Gif,  and  it  was 
decided  that  all  of  the  crowd  were  to  go  home 
for  Christmas.  Several  days  later  the  Rovers 
were  to  meet  Gif  and  Spouter  at  Portview, 
and  then  all  would  proceed  to  Cedar  Lodge. 

"And  don't  forget  to  bring  your  guns  and  all 
your  other  traps,"  said  Gif. 

"You  trust  us  for  that!"  responded  Fred. 

"We'll  be  there  with  everything  that  is 
necessary  outside  of  the  provisions.  Those, 
of  course,  we  can  get  at  Portview  or  at  Tkn- 
minsport." 

"I  hope  we  get  a  chance  at  a  moose,"  sighed 
Randy. 

"Gee !  Why  don't  you  make  it  a  lion  or  an 
elephant  or  a  polar  bear  while  you  are  at  it  ?" 
cried  his  twin.  "Might  as  well  wish  for  every- 


70  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

thing  in  the  menagerie.  It  doesn't  cost  any 
more,"  and  at  this  there  was  a  general  smile. 

"I  know  what  I'd  like  to  get,"  said  Jack. 
"I  was  reading  about  one  in  the  paper  the 
other  day.  They  must  be  beautiful  creatures." 

"What's  that?"  questioned  Gif. 

"A  silver  fox." 

"Oh,  say,  Jack !  that  would  be  fine.  But  I 
imagine  silver  foxes  are  exceedingly  rare." 

"Oh,  I  know  that.  Just  the  same,  I'd  like  to 
bag  one.  The  fur  would  make  a  very  fine 
piece  for  some  lady  to  wear." 

"Ruth  Stevenson,  for  instance,"  murmured 
Andy;  and  at  this  his  cousin  made  a  playful 
pass  at  him  with  his  fist,  which  the  fun-lov- 
ing Rover  easily  dodged. 

The  next  morning  the  cadets  had  an  early 
breakfast,  and  a  short  while  later  saw  many 
of  them  on  their  way  by  carriage  and  auto- 
mobile to  Haven  Point.  Many  girls  were  also 
coming  in  from  Clearwater  Hall,  so  that  the 
railroad  station  present  an  unusually  lively 
appearance. 

In  the  crowd  was  Bill  Glutts,  but  he  took 
care  to  keep  away  from  the  Rovers.  Gabe 
Werner  was  nowhere  to  be  seen,  and  the 
Rovers  rightfully  conjectured  that  he  had  left 
the  town. 


THE  END  OF  THE  TERM  71 

The  boys  had  hardly  arrived  when  a  carry- 
all came  in  from  Clearwater  Hall  containing 
Mary  and  Martha,  as  well  as  Ruth  and  May 
and  a  dozen  other  girl  students.  There  was  a 
general  handshaking,  and  then  all  took  a 
stand  on  the  station  platform  to  wait  for  the 
coming  of  two  trains  which  were  to  bear  the 
various  students  in  opposite  directions. 
Everybody  had  already  procured  a  ticket,  and 
the  trains  which  were  expected  were  extras, 
for  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  the  ordi- 
nary locals  to  have  taken  care  of  such  heavy 
traffic. 

"I  am  sorry  you're  not  going  to  travel  with 
us  to  New  York,"  said  Jack  to  Ruth. 

"Well,  I'm  sorry  you're  not  coming  my 
way,"  answered  the  girl,  with  a  smile. 

"But  you'll  be  down  to  our  house  directly 
after  Christmas,  won't  you?" 

"Yes,  we'll  be  down  the  day  after — May 
and  I." 

"Well,  that  will  give  us  a  whole  day  to- 
gether, anyhow,  before  us  fellows  start  for 
Cedar  Lodge,"  went  on  the  young  captain. 
Then  he  nudged  Ruth  in  the  elbow.  "Come 
over  here,"  he  whispered.  "I  want  to  show 
you  something  that  I  don't  want  the  others 
to  see." 


72  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Together  they  slipped  out  of  the  crowd  and 
around  the  corner  of  the  little  railroad  station. 
Then  Jack  brought  out  a  large  flat  package 
from  an  inner  pocket  of  his  overcoat.  "I  had 
these  taken  as  a  Christmas  surprise  to  mother 
and  Martha.  What  do  you  think  of  them?" 
and  he  brought  forth  several  photographs  of 
himself  taken  in  his  cadet  uniform.  They  had 
been  taken  by  the  leading  photographer  of 
Haven  Point  who  made  a  specialty  of  work 
for  the  two  schools,  and  they  certainly  showed 
the  young  captain  at  his  best. 

"Oh,  how  lovely,  Jack!"  cried  Ruth  in 
genuine  pleasure.  "I  declare,  they  are  splen- 
did pictures." 

"Then  you  like  them?"  he  queried 
anxiously. 

"I  certainly  do!  I  don't  think  they  could 
be  better."  She  looked  at  the  three  poses  pre- 
sented critically.  "If  it's  all  the  same  to  you, 
I'll  keep  this  one,"  she  said  finally. 

"Oh,  Ruth,  you  don't  want  my  picture,  do 
you?"  he  questioned,  and  there  was  a  trace 
of  wistfulness  in  his  voice. 

"Of  course  I  do,  Jack.  I  can  keep  this  one, 
can't  I?"  and  the  girl  looked  full  at  him  in  a 
manner  that  spoke  volumes. 

"Why,  sure!  if  you  want  it,"  he  answered 


THE  END  OF  THE  TERM  73 

qtiickly.  "But,  say!  don't  I  get  one  of  yours 
in  return?"  he  added. 

"Well,  I'll  see  about  that,"  she  hesitated. 

"Oh,  now,  Ruth—" 

"I  haven't  had  one  taken  in  an  awfully  long 
time,  Jack." 

"Never  mind,  you  will  let  me  have  one  of 
them  anyhow,  won't  you?" 

"I — I  guess — maybe  so.  I'll  give  it  to  you 
for  a  Christmas  present.  Only  don't  tell  the 
others." 

"I  won't,  Ruth.  And  you  can  keep  about 
my  picture  to  yourself,  too,"  added  the  captain. 
And  thereupon  the  decidedly  interesting  con- 
versation between  the  pair  had  to  come  to  an 
end  as  one  of  the  trains  came  puffing  in — that 
which  was  to  carry  Ruth  and  some  of  the  other 
girls,  as  well  as  many  of  the  cadets,  away. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME 

"WELL,  here  we  are  at  last.  I  wonder  if  any- 
body will  be  at  the  station  to  meet  us,"  said 
Martha  Rover. 

"Oh,  I'm  sure  somebody  will  come  down," 
answered  Mary. 

The  six  Rovers  had  had  a  long  and  unevent- 
ful train  ride  from  Haven  Point  to  the  Grand 
Central  Terminal,  Forty-second  Street,  New 
York  City.  They  had  had  to  change  cars  at 
the  Junction,  where  some  months  before  they 
had  had  such  fun  with  Mr.  Asa  Lemm,  the 
discharged  teacher  of  the  Hall,  as  related  in 
detail  in  the  volume  previous  to  this.  The 
train  had  been  crowded  with  passengers,  but 
the  Rovers  had  managed  to  get  seats  together, 
much  to  their  satisfaction;  and  they  had  also 
managed  to  get  pretty  fair  accommodations 
when  it  came  time  to  go  into  the  diner. 

They  had  telegraphed  ahead  concerning 
their  coming,  and  found  two  chauffeurs  em» 

74 


CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME  75 

ployed  by  Dick  Rover  and  Tom  Rover  on 
hand  to  receive  them  and  take  charge  of  their 
baggage.  Then  they  went  out  to  the  street, 
where  they  found  two  automobiles  awaiting 
them,  one  containing  Jack's  mother  and  the 
other  the  mothers  of  Fred  and  the  twins. 

"Hello,  Ma !"  cried  the  young  captain,  as  he 
rushed  forward  to  embrace  his  parent.  "How 
are  you?  You  are  looking  pretty  good." 

"Oh,  I  am  feeling  quite  fair,"  answered  Mrs. 
Dick  Rover  with  a  smile. 

"Home  again,  and  glad  of  it!"  exclaimed 
Fred,  as  he  embraced  his  mother. 

"My,  my,  but  I'm  glad  that  that  term  at  the 
school  is  at  an  end!"  cried  Andy,  as  he  gave 
Mrs.  Tom  Rover  the  hug  he  knew  she  would 
be  expecting,  a  hug  which  was  speedily  dupli- 
cated by  his  twin.  "Hope  you've  got  a  good 
big  dinner  waiting  for  us.  Traveling  has  made 
me  hungry." 

"Not  but  what  we  had  a  pretty  good  meal 
on  the  train,"  added  his  twin. 

"You'll  get  all  you  want  to-night,"  answered 
Mrs.  Tom  Rover  affectionately. 

In  the  meantime  Mary  and  Martha  had 
come  up  and  joined  their  parents.  There  was 
a  good  deal  of  kissing  and  questioning,  and 
while  this  was  going  on  the  chauffeurs  as- 


76  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

sisted  the  young  people  to  their  seats  and 
stowed  away  their  hand-baggage.  There 
were  no  trunks  to  come,  for  all  the  young 
folks  had  left  a  large  part  of  the  belongings  at 
the  schools. 

There  was  only  one  thing  which  saddened 
the  home-coming  of  the  young  people,  and 
that  was  the  absence  of  their  fathers.  Al- 
though Jack  had  said  that  his  mother  was 
looking  well,  still  he  had  not  failed  to  notice 
that  her  face  showed  a  certain  paleness  and 
some  lines  of  care. 

"Don't  worry,  Mother.  I'm  sure  dad  will 
come  back  all  right,"  he  said  later  on,  in  an 
endeavor  to  comfort  her. 

"I  am  hoping  so,  Jack.  But,  oh!  how  I 
wish  this  awful  war  would  come  to  an  end," 
and  Mrs.  Dick  Rover  sighed  deeply. 

All  too  quickly  the  next  few  days  passed. 
Young  folks  and  old  folks  were  busy  doing 
their  shopping  for  Christmas,  and  in  addition 
to  this,  the  boys  went  out  to  purchase  a  num- 
ber of  things  they  thought  they  might  need 
while  at  the  camp. 

"I'm  afraid  we're  in  for  it,"  said  Randy  dis- 
mally, on  the  afternoon  before  Christmas. 
"This  looks  like  a  regular  blizzard." 

It  certainly  did  look  like  a  blizzard,  with 


CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME  77 

the  snow  coming  down  thickly  and  the  wind 
blowing  it  first  in  one  direction  then  in  an- 
other. By  nightfall  the  streets  were  almost 
impassable,  and  in  the  morning  traffic  along 
Riverside  Drive  was  practically  suspended. 

"Merry  Christmas!"  shouted  Randy,  who 
was  the  first  to  get  up. 

"Merry  Christmas!"  replied  Andy.  "And 
how  do  you  like  to  live  at  the  North  Pole?" 
he  added,  as  the  glanced  out  of  the  window  at 
the  storm-bound  street  and  the  river  and  the 
Palisades  beyond. 

There  was  a  grand  reunion  of  the  three 
families  in  the  Dick  Rover  residence,  and 
presents  were  exchanged  all  around.  The 
boys  had  purchased  a  number  of  small  but  ap- 
propriate gifts  for  their  mothers  and  the  two 
girls,  and  also  for  the  various  servants  of  the 
families.  In  return  they  received  a  number 
of  gifts,  both  useful  and  ornamental,  including 
gold-mounted  stylographic  pens,  which  each 
one  had  desired,  and  also  some  new  hockey 
skates  and  story  books. 

Martha  had  knit  a  bright  sweater  for  her 
brother,  and  Mary  had  done  the  same  for 
Fred,  and  the  girls  between  them  had  like- 
wise knit  sweaters  for  the  twins. . 

"We  sure  are  the  lucky  kids,"  remarked 


78  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Andy,  when  all  of  them  were  looking  over 
their  gifts.  "This  sweater  suits  me  to  a  T. 
And,  my!  just  wait  until  I  get  on  those  hockey 
skates.  There  won't  be  a  thing  in  New  York 
or  on  Clearwater  Lake  that  will  beat  me.v 

"I  see  you  doing  some  tall  skating  to-day/' 
replied  his  twin,  with  a  grin.  "What  you  will 
need  is  a  snow  shovel  if  you  want  to  get  any- 
where." 

The  storm  kept  up  until  noon  of  Christmas, 
and  then  cleared  away  almost  as  rapidly  as  it 
had  come,  the  night  being  clear  and  cold,  with 
a  beautiful  moon  and  twinkling  stars  shining 
from  above. 

"I  hope  it  stays  clear  so  that  May  and  Ruth 
will  have  a  chance  to  come  down,"  remarked 
Fred  during  the  course  of  the  afternoon. 

"I  guess  we  all  hope  that,"  answered  Jack. 

With  so  much  to  think  of  in  connection  with 
their  proposed  trip  to  Cedar  Lodge,  the  Rover 
boys  put  in  a  busy  time  all  of  that  day  and 
part  of  the  next.  Then  they  went  down  to  the 
Grand  Central  Terminal  with  the  girls  to  meet 
the  expected  visitors. 

"There  they  are!"  cried  Martha,  after  the 
long  train  had  rolled  into  the  station.  And 
a  moment  later  she  and  Ruth  were  in  each 
other's  arms,  while  Mary  was  embracing  May. 


CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME  jg 

Then  the  boys  shook  hands,  and  all  drove 
away  to  the  Rover  residences. 

"Did  you  get  that  picture  for  me,  Ruth?** 
questioned  Jack,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  a 
chance  to  speak  to  the  girl  in  private. 

"Oh,  you  don't  want  any  picture,"  she  de- 
clared mischievously. 

"Aw,  come  now,"  he  pleaded,  "don't  try  to 
put  me  off  that  way.  You  know  what  you 
promised." 

"Well,  can't  you  wait  until  we  get  to  the 
house?" 

"Oh,  sure !  But  I  wanted  to  make  certain 
that  you  had  brought  the  picture  along." 

"You'll  be  scared  when  you  see  it,"  declared 
Ruth.  "I  look  a  perfect  fright.  The  man 
snapped  the  picture  before  I  was  half  ready." 

But  later  on,  when  Jack  received  the  gift, 
he  declared  that  the  picture  was  a  very  good 
one  indeed,  although  it  did  not  look  half  as 
pretty  as  Ruth  did  herself.  The  two  had  quite 
a  little  fun  over  the  picture,  and  then  Jack 
placed  it  in  his  pocket. 

"Now  you've  got  it,  what  are  you  going  to! 
do  with  it?"  questioned  Ruth  curiously. 

"I'm  going  to  carry  it  right  here,"  he  de- 
clared, for  he  had  it  in  an  inside  pocket  over 
his  heart. 


So  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Oh,  you  big  goose!"  cried  Ruth,  but  then 
she  blushed  and  looked  pleased  nevertheless. 

It  was  announced  that  part  of  the  lake  in 
Central  Park  had  been  scraped  clear  of  the 
snow,  and  the  following  day  the  young  folks 
went  skating  and  had  a  most  glorious  time* 
Then  in  the  evening  all  attended  a  theatrical 
performance  at  one  of  the  leading  theaters. 

"Oh,  my!  but  I  am  having  a  splendid  time," 
said  Ruth  to  Martha. 

"It's  too  bad  the  boys  are  going  away," 
was  the  answer.  "But  I  don't  blame  them  for 
wanting  to  go  on  a  hunt.  If  I  were  a  boy  I'd 
like  to  go  on  a  hunt  myself." 

On  the  following  morning  came  a  letter 
from  Dick  Rover,  stating  that  matters  were 
still  somewhat  quiet  in  the  sector  in  France 
where  they  were  located,  but  that  word  was 
being  passed  around  that  they  were  to  make 
an  advance  in  the  near  future. 

"Hurrah !  I  guess  they'll  show  those  Huns 
what  Americans  can  do,"  cried  Jack. 

"Oh,  I  dread  to  think  of  their  going  into 
battle !"  said  his  mother. 

"Ma,  while  we  are  away  don't  forget  to  send 
us  any  news  that  may  come  in,"  said  Jack 
quickly.  "You  can  telegraph  to  Timminsport, 
and  we  will  leave  word  there  at  the  telegraph 


CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME  8l 

office  so  that  any  important  message  will  be 
delivered  to  us." 

"I'll  certainly  do  that,  Jack."  And  later  on 
Mrs.  Tom  Rover  and  Mrs.  Sam  Rover  prom- 
ised to  do  the  same  thing. 

"There  is  no  telling  what  may  happen  to! 
our  dads  if  they  get  into  a  regular  first-class 
battle,"  remarked  Fred,  that  night  when  the 
four  boys  were  holding  a  little  conference 
among  themselves. 

"Well,  we've  got  to  take  what  comes,"  re- 
turned Randy  briefly.  "However,  I'll  be  as 
much  worried  as  ma  until  this  war  is  at  an  end 
or  until  our  dads  come  home." 

The  boys  had  looked  over  their  traps  with 
care  and  examined  their  rifles  and  shotguns, 
and  had  even  gone  down  into  the  cellar  of  one 
of  their  residences  to  try  out  the  weapons  to 
make  certain  that  they  were  in  working  order. 

With  a  shotgun  in  his  hand  Andy  wanted  to 
have  some  fun  with  one  of  the  servant  girls, 
but  Randy  quickly  stopped  him. 

"Nothing  doing,  Andy,"  he  said.  "You'll, 
only  make  ma  nervous,  and  she  is  nervous 
enough  already,  thinking  about  dad.  You 
save  your  tomfoolery  until  we  are  on  the  way 
or  up  at  the  camp." 

At  length  came  the  time  for  the  boys  to  take 


82 

their  departure.  Jack  hated  to  think  of  run- 
ning away  from  Ruth,  and  Fred  was  equally 
sorry  to  leave  May  Powell  behind,  yet  the 
though  of  what  was  ahead  brightened  all  of 
the  lads  considerably. 

"We  ought  to  have  the  time  of  our  lives," 
declared  Fred.  'That  is,  if  hunting  is  half  as 
good  as  Gif  Garrison  said  it  was." 

"And  if  I  can  get  that  silver  fox,"  added 
Jack. 

"Nothing  but  a  moose  for  me,"  declared 
Randy.  "Either  a  moose  or  a  six-legged  jack 
rabbit." 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  shoot  a  bear  that 
weighed  about  a  thousand  pounds  ?"  ques- 
tioned Jack. 

"And  lug  the  carcass  to  camp  yourself?" 
came  from  Fred. 

"Speaking  about  carrying  a  thousand-pound 
bear  puts  me  in  mind  of  something,"  cried 
Randy  quickly.  "A  fellow  was  telling  me  of  a 
man  here  in  the  city  who  carried  twelve  hun- 
dred pounds." 

"Twelve  hundred  pounds!"  exclaimed  his 
twin.  "It  can't  be  done." 

"Why,  that's  more  than  a  half  a  ton !"  said 
Jack  incredaously. 

"Never  mind,  the  fellow  carried  the  twelve 


CHRISTMAS  AT  HOME  83 

hundred  pounds,"  went  on  Randy.  "A  whole 
lot  of  people  saw  him  do  it." 

"Where  was  this?"  questioned  Fred. 

"It  was  down  at  one  of  the  Broadway 
'banks,"  answered  Randy  innocently.  "The 
fdlow  was  an  English  army  officer.  He  had 
twelve  hundred  pounds  in  English  money  that 
he  was  exchanging  for  good  old  U.  S.  A.  coin," 

"Fooled !"  cried  Fred,  and  this  was  followed 
by  a  general  laugh. 


THE  four  Rover  boys  journeyed  from  New 
iYork  City  to  Baxton  and  there  changed  from 
one  station  to  another  nearby  and  took  the 
next  train  for  Portview. 

Arriving  in  Portview  they  took  a  taxicab 
to  the  leading  hotel,  and  were  there  met  by 
Gif  and  Spouter,  who  had  come  in  a  few  hours 
earlier  and  had  already  signed  for  their  ac- 
commodations. 

"Mighty  glad  to  see  you  got  here,"  de- 
clared Gif.  "I  read  about  the  awful  storm  you 
had  down  around  New  York,  and  I  thought, 
you  might  be  delayed." 

"Well,  I  see  they  have  had  some  of  the 
snow  up  here,"  answered  Jack.  "Although 
it  isn't  as  heavy  as  it  was  down  our  way." 

"Don't  worry  about  snow,  Jack.  You'll  get 
all  you  want  of  it  after  we  reach  Cedar  Lodge." 

The  Rover  boys  were  tired  out  from  their 
all-day  trip,  and  as  Gif  and  Spouter  had  like- 


THE  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT  85 

wise  had  their  fill  of  traveling  for  the  time  be- 
ing, all  were  glad  enough  to  retire  for  a  good 
night's  rest,  even  Andy  being  too  worn  out  to 
play  any  of  his  jokes.  But  the  following  morn- 
ing found  the  youths  as  bright  and  fresh  as 
ever  and  eager  to  continue  their  journey. 

"We  can  get  a  train  for  Timminsport  at 
ten-thirty,"  announced  Gif.  "That  will  give  us 
plenty  of  time  for  breakfast  and  to  do  a  little 
shopping  if  we  need  anything.  Portview  has 
as  good  stores  as  many  big  towns.  When  you 
get  to  Timminsport,  you  will  find  it  nothing 
but  a  one-horse  country  town." 

They  had  a  substantial  breakfast,  and  then 
wandered  down  the  main  street  as  far  as  a 
small  park,  and  then  came  back  on  the  other 
side  of  the  thoroughfare.  They  made  a  num- 
ber of  small  purchases,  including  some  cakes 
of  choice  chocolate  and  a  bag  of  almonds,  of 
which  Spouter  and  Randy  were  particularly 
fond. 

"When  we  get  to  Timminsport  don't  forget 
to  add  a  good  big  bag  of  sugar  to  our  stores," 
said  Randy.  "Then,  if  we  are  snowed  in  some* 
time,  we  can  spend  a  few  hours  making  some 
home-made  candy."1 

"Yes,  and  we  can  try  our  hands  at  some 
cookies,"  added  Fred.  "I've  watched  our 


S6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

cook  make  them  quite  a  few  times,  and  I 
think  I  could  make  some  myself  if  I  tried  real 
hard." 

"Anyway,  you  might  be  able  to  turn  out 
some  sinkers,"  said  Andy,  with  a  grin.  "And 
if  we  couldn't  eat  'em  we  could  take  'em  back 
to  Colby  Hall  and  present  'em  to  some  of  the 
teachers  for  paperweights."  And  at  this  there 
was  a  laugh. 

With  the  bundles  the  boys  returned  *o  the 
hotel,  paid  their  bill,  and  with  their  suitcases 
in  hand,  returned  once  more  to  the  depot. 
Here  in  the  smoky  trainshed  the  cars  were  al- 
ready waiting,  and  they  climbed  aboard;  and 
a  few  minutes  later  were  on  their  way  to  Tim- 
minsport. 

The  coast  in  this  vicinity  is  very  irregular, 
so  that  the  train  did  not  run  close  to  the 
shore.  They  skirted  a  bay,  and  then  branched 
off  at  a  small  place  called  Leeways  for  the 
town  for  which  they  were  bound.  At  Lee- 
ways they  met  several  heavy  lumber  trains, 
and  also  met  a  gang  of  men  bound  for  one  of 
the  lumber  camps. 

"We  are  certainly  getting  away  from  the  big 
towns  now,"  remarked  Fred. 

"I  just  saw  a  few  hunters  with  their  guns !" 
cried  Randy.  "That  looks  interesting  to  me !" 


THE  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT       87 

There  was  no  diner  on  the  train,  but  around 
noon  it  stopped  at  a  way-station  where  there 
was  a  lunch  counter,  and  here  the  young 
travelers  had  ten  minutes  in  which  to  satisfy 
their  appetites. 

"Maybe  we'd  better  take  a  few  sandwiches 
along,"  remarked  Jack.  "We  may  not  have 
another  chance  to  eat  until  we  get  to  the 
Lodge." 

"Oh,  there  is  a  little  restaurant  at  Timmins- 
port,"  declared  Gif.  "It's  not  a  very  nice  place, 
but  we'll  be  able  to  get  as  much  as  we  want 
there." 

Soon  the  train  was  on  its  way  again,  having 
backed  up  at  Leeways  to  drop  a  passenger 
car  and  take  on  one  of  mixed  freight.  The 
character  of  the  passengers  had  largely 
changed,  and  most  of  them  were  now  country 
folks,  lumberjacks,  and  city  people  bound  for 
a  season  of  hunting.  The  steam  heat  had  died 
out  in  the  car  which  the  boys  occupied,  and  it 
was  growing  colder  and  colder. 

"The  train  doesn't  go  any  farther  than  Tim- 
minsport,"  explained  Gif,  "and  I  suppose  the 
engineer  is  saving  on  steam." 

"Say,  Gif,  I  didn't  think  you  were  going  to 
give  us  such  a  cold  reception!"  cried  Randy. 

"Never  mind  the  cold  reception !"  exclaimed 


88  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Spouter,  who  was  gazing  out  of  the  window  at 
the  scenery.  "Just  look  at  this  truly  wonder- 
ful picture!  See  those  hillsides  with  massive 
pines,  and  those  clusters  of  bushes,  all  bent 
down  with  their  weight  of  snow.  And  see 
how  the  sunshine  sparkles,  making  each  snow- 
drop look  like  a  diamond.  It's  a  wonderful 
sight,  and  it  fills  one's  soul  with  a  feeling  of 
awe  and  admiration  for — " 

"Hurrah!  Spouter  has  come  into  his  own 
again,"  cried  Andy.  "That's  right,  Spout, 
warm  up  good,  and  maybe  you'll  help  warm 
this  car." 

"If  those  snowdrops  were  really  diamonds, 
Spouter,  what  do  you  thing  they'd  be  worth  a 
dozen?"  came  from  Randy. 

"Aw,  that's  just  like  you  fellows!"  grumbled 
the  would-be  orator,  in  disgust.  "You  haven't 
any  poetry  in  your  souls." 

"Haven't  any  poetry  in  my  soul?"  cried 
Andy.  "You  bet  I  have — tons  and  tons  of  it! 
Just  listen  to  this,"  and  he  chanted  gayly : 

"I  love  to  see  a  snowdrop 

Ahanging  on  a  tree, 
Aglistening  in   the   sunshine 
As  happy  as  can  be." 

"Great  red-headed  snakes !"  burst  out  Jack* 
"Andy  has  turned  poet  1" 


THE  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT  89 

"Don't  you  think  you  ought  to  take  some- 
thing for  it,  Andy?  Cough  mixture,  or 
measles  eradicator,  or  something  like  that?" 
questioned  Fred. 

"I  think  what  he  needs  is  a  good  dose  of 
codliver  oil,  served  hot,"  came  from  Gif. 

"No  codliver  oil  for  me !"  cried  the  fun-lov- 
ing Rover.  "You  deal  that  out  to  Spouter. 
It  will  help  oil  his  tongue  and  make  his  flow 
of  oratory  better." 

"Speaking  of  cough  mixtures,  I  think  I'll  get 
a  bottle  of  some  sort  when  we  get  to  Timmins- 
port  if  they  have  a  drugstore,"  said  Jack. 
"Some  of  us  may  catch  cold  and  need  it." 

With  such  talk  going  on,  the  journey  con- 
tinued. They  were  now  running  for  a  small 
station  named  Enwood,  where  they  were  to 
pick  up  two  extra  cars  from  a  small  side  road 
coming  down  from  the  north.  In  this  section 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  snow,  and  the  train, 
consequently,  had  to  run  rather  slowly. 

"I  think  I  could  get  out  and  walk  almost  as 
fast  as  this  train  is  moving,"  remarked  Spouter 
presently. 

"It  isn't  as  bad  as  that,  Spouter,"  returned 
Jack,  looking  out  of  the  window.  "We  are 
making  at  least  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  and  you 
couldn't  hoof  it  as  quick  as  that." 


90  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"It  certainly  seems  awfully  slow,"  remarked 
Fred.  He  was  beginning  to  grow  sleepy,  and 
now  he  rested  his  head  on  the  back  of  the  seat 
and  closed  his  eyes. 

"Perhaps  we  won't  be  able  to  get  through  to 
Timminsport,"  came  from  Randy.  "That 
would  be  a  fine  state  of  affairs,  eh?" 

"I  don't  see  any  houses  along  the  line.  We'd 
have  one  sweet  job  finding  a  place  to  go  to  if 
the  train  became  snowbound,"  said  Andy. 

"They  generally  manage  to  keep  this  road 
open,  no  matter  how  bad  the  storms  are,"  de- 
clared Gif.  "You  see,  the  hunters  are  coming 
and  going  all  the  time,  as  well  as  the  lumber- 
men and  the  folks  that  live  in  and  around 
Timminsport  and  Enwood.  They  don't  like 
to  be  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  even 
for  a  day  or  two." 

"I  hope  we  don't  have  to  wait  for  that  other 
train  when  we  get  to  Enwood,"  said  Spouter. 
"That  may  be  awfully  late,  you  know." 

"I  asked  the  conductor  awhile  ago,  and  he 
said  they  hoped  it  would  be  on  time.  It  comes 
down  hill  most  of  the  way,  and  that  is  in  its 
favor.  If  they  had  to  pull  uphill  much,  they 
might  get  stuck." 

Presently  they  passed  a  small  lumber  camp, 
and  one  of  the  other  passengers  told  the  boys 


THE  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT  9I 

they  were  now  within  half  a  mile  of  Enwood. 

"And  that  is  only  twelve  miles  from  Tim- 
minsport,"  said  Gif.  "We  ought  to  be  there  in 
about  half  an  hour  or  so." 

They  had  struck  a  portion  of  the  track  which 
was  comparatively  free  of  snow,  and  the  engi- 
neer of  the  train  was  now  trying  to  make  up 
some  of  the  lost  time.  The  boys  were  congratu- 
lating themselves  on  this  when  they  suddenly 
heard  a  shriek  of  the  locomotive  whistle,  fol- 
lowed instantly  by  the  sudden  application  of 
the  steam  brakes.  The  train  shuddered  and 
shook,  and  two  seconds  later  there  came  a 
crash  from  the  front,  and  then  the  train  came 
to  a  sudden  stop. 

The  Rover  boys  and  their  chums  had  leaped 
to  their  feet  at  the  first  shock.  The  second 
threw  Spouter  headlong,  and  Randy  went 
down  almost  on  top  of  him.  Fred  was 
awakened  from  his  brief  nap  by  having  his 
forehead  bumped  upon  the  seat  ahead  of  him. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"What  did  we  strike?" 

"Are  we  going  to  upset  ?" 

"Let  me  get  out  of  here!  I  don't  want  to 
be  smashed  up !" 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries  which  rent  the 
air  while  the  train  was  still  in  motion  and  after 


92  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

it  came  to  a  standstill.  Every  passenger  had 
been  shaken  up,  and  not  a  few  were  knocked 
down.  Fortunately,  however,  no  one  in  that 
particular  car  seemed  to  be  much  hurt,  al- 
though several  were  bruised  and  every  one  was 
more  or  less  nervous. 

"Are  you  hurt,  Fred?"  questioned  Jack 
quickly,  as  he  saw  his  young  cousin  feeling  of 
his  forehead. 

"Well,  I  got  a  pretty  good  bump,"  answered 
the  youngest  Rover,  "and  I  guess  I'm  going 
to  have  a  lump  there  as  a  consequence." 

"We'll  get  out  and  see  what's  doing,  and 
then  you  can  put  some  snow  on  it." 

Some  of  the  passengers  were  already  leav- 
ing the  car,  and  the  Rover  boys  and  their 
chums  quickly  followed.  The  trouble  was  all 
ahead,  and  they  had  some  difficulty  in  wading 
through  the  snow  alongside  the  track  to  get  to 
the  front  of  the  train. 

Here  it  was  plain  to  be  seen  what  had  hap- 
pened. The  train  from  the  north  had  come  in 
and  tried  to  take  the  siding,  as  was  the  custom. 
But  the  switch  had  become  blocked  with  snow, 
and  the  train  had  been  thrown  out  on  the  main 
track,  which  at  this  point,  crossed  the  track 
on  which  the  train  from  Portview  was  coming. 
The  big  locomotive  of  the  latter  train  had 


THE  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT  93 

ploughed  through  the  middle  of  the  train  from 
the  north,  hitting  the  latter  between  two  of 
the  cars  and  sending  those  cars  in  either  di* 
rection  to  the  sides  of  the  track. 

"Gee !  this  is  some  wreck !"  exclaimed  Gif. 

"I  should  say  it  was!"  declared  Jack.  "It 
looks  to  me  as  if  somebody  might  be  killed.'* 

From  the  two  wrecked  cars  came  cries  of 
pain  and  yells  for  help.  One  of  the  cars  still 
stood  up,  but  at  a  dangerous  angle,  while  the 
other  had  turned  completely  over  and  rested 
on  its  top  in  the  snow. 

All  was  excitement,  and  for  the  time  being^ 
everyone  seemed  to  be  so  dazed  that  but  little 
was  done.  Passengers  were  leaping  from  both' 
of  the  wrecked  cars,  some  coming  through  the 
doorways  and  some  through  the  broken-out 
windows.  Jack  and  Randy  ran  to  one  of  the 
cars,  and  were  able  to  assist  a  woman  with  a 
little  girl  to  alight  and  reach  a  place  of  safety. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  other  lads  assisted  two 
elderly  men.  One  had  his  foot  hurt,  and  theyf 
carried  him  into  the  railroad  station,  where, 
they  laid  him  on  one  of  the  benches. 

"Look !  Look !"  cried  Fred  suddenly,  for- 
getting all  about  his  hurt  forehead.  "Look! 
That  car  over  yonder  is  on  fire !" 

The  car  he  mentioned  was  that  which  had 


94  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

turned  over  and  was  resting  on  its  top  in  the 
snow.  From  the  interior  thick  black  smoke 
was  coming,  and  this  was  presently  followed 
by  a  tongue  of  flame.  The  car  was  a  combi- 
nation baggage  and  smoker,  and  it  was  after- 
wards learned  that  one  of  the  passengers  had 
been  carrying  a  can  of  kerosene  which  had 
broken  open  in  the  smash-up,  and  had  evi- 
dently become  ignited  by  some  thrown-down 
cigar  or  cigarette. 

"Those  people  will  be  in  danger  of  burning 
up!"  gasped  Randy. 

"They  will  be  unless  they  get  out  in  a 
hurry,"  answered  Spouter. 

From  the  interior  of  the  car  came  more 
cries,  and  presently  all  outside  heard  a  man 
yelling  in  a  tone  of  agony: 

"Help !  Help !  Somebody  save  me !  My  leg 
is  caught  fast,  and  I  can't  get  out !  Save  me !" 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  RESCUE 

"THERE'S  a  man  left  in  there!" 

"He  says  his  leg  is  caught  fast !" 

"Help!  Help!"  came  more  faintly  from  the 
interior  of  the  burning  car.  "Help,  or  I'll  be 
burnt  to  death !" 

Only  a  few  passengers  seemed  to  hear  these 
cries,  for  most  of  the  men  who  had  come  from 
the  other  train  were  gathered  near  the  car 
which  was  still  standing.  The  Rover  boys  and 
their  chums  listened  in  horror  to  the  call  for 
assistance.  Jack  was  the  first  to  leap  for- 
ward. 

"We'll  have  to  save  that  fellow  if  we  can," 
he  cried  determinedly. 

"I  think  he  is  close  to  one  of  these  windows," 
said  Randy,  pointing  to  several  broken-out 
windows  through  which  some  other  passen- 
gers in  the  car  had  climbed. 

"Wait!  I've  got  an  idea!"  exclaimed  Fred. 
"See  that  stick  of  wood  ?  Why  can't  we  place 

95 


96  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

that  against  one  of  the  windows  and  climb  up 
on  it?" 

He  had  pointed  to  a  plank  one  end  of  which, 
in  some  manner,  had  become  torn  up  from  the 
roadbed.  All  of  the  boys  rushed  for  this  plank 
and  turned  and  twisted  it  until  they  had  the 
fastened  end  under  the  snow  loose.  Then  they 
rushed  over  to  the  burning  car  and  placed  the 
plank  on  a  slant  from  the  snow  to  the  broken- 
out  window  which,  because  the  overturned 
car  was  not  on  a  level,  was  two  or  three  feet 
above  their  heads. 

Jack  was  the  first  to  get  on  the  plank,  and 
speedily  crawled  up  to  the  window.  Fortu- 
nately a  draft  was  taking  most  of  the  smoke 
to  the  other  side  of  the  car,  so  that  he  could 
see  into  the  interior  quite  plainly. 

A  scene  of  great  confusion  met  the  eyes  of 
the  young  captain.  A  number  of  broken  seats 
had  fallen  down  on  the  ceiling  of  the  car  and 
in  the  midst  of  this  wreckage  lay  a  short, 
stocky  man  with  several  cuts  and  bruises  on 
his  face  from  which  the  blood  was  flowing. 
The  man  had  his  arms  and  one  leg  free,  but 
several  seats  and  some  handbaggage  were 
wedged  in  across  his  left  leg  and  his  stomach 
in  such  a  manner  that  he  seemed  unable  to 
•extricate  himself.  The  fire  was  creeping  up  to 


THE  RESCUE  97 

within  a  few  inches  of  his  caught  foot,  and  this 
had  caused  him  to  raise  his  wild  cry  for  assist- 
ance. 

"Help!  Help!"  he  repeated,  as  soon  as  he 
caught  sight  of  Jack's  face  framed  in  the 
broken-out  window.  "Get  me  out  of  here  be- 
fore the  fire  reaches  me !" 

"We'll  do  it!"  answered  Jack.  "Come  on, 
Randy.  I  think  the  two  of  us  can  do  the 
trick,"  he  added  to  his  cousin,  who  had  come 
up  behind  him  on  the  plank. 

"Want  any  more  help?"  questioned  the 
others  simultaneously. 

"If  we  do  we'll  let  you  know  quick  enough." 

Jack  dropped  down  into  the  car,  and  Randy 
followed.  They  landed  among  a  mass  of 
broken  glass  and  other  wreckage,  but  to  this 
paid  no  attention. 

"Here,  Randy,  take  hold  of  this  seat  and 
pull  it  back,"  ordered  Jack ;  and  between  them 
they  set  to  work  with  vigor. 

But  it  was  no  mean  task  to  get  all  of  the 
wreckage  off  of  the  trapped  passenger.  There 
were  half  a  dozen  heavy  suitcases  among  the 
broken  seats,  and  these  the  boys  hurled 
through  the  broken  windows,  where  they  were 
picked  up  by  those  outside  and  carried  to  a 
safe  place.  In  the  meanwhile  the  flames  were 


98  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

creeping  closer,  and  now  a  sudden  change  1%» 
the  air  caused  a  heavy  volume  of  smoke  to  drift 
toward  them. 

"Gee!  this  is  getting  fierce,"  spluttered 
Randy,  and  began  to  cough,  while  the  tears 
started  from  his  eyes. 

"Don't  leave  me !  Please  don't  leave  me  !" 
pleaded  the  passenger  under  the  wreckage.  "I 
don't  want  to  be  burnt  up!"  and  then  he  said 
something  in  a  foreign  tongue  which  the 
others  did  not  understand. 

The  last  bit  of  wreckage  was  the  hardest  of 
all  to  get  away  from  where  it  rested  across  the 
man's  stomach.  This  was  wedged  in  between 
the  ceiling  and  the  side  of  the  car,  and  the 
boys  had  to  use  all  their  strength  before  they 
could  dislodge  it.  But  at  last  it  came  loose, 
and  then  the  man  was  able  to  sit  up. 

"Here,  we'll  help  you,"  cried  Jack,  as  the 
passenger  seemed  to  be  too  weak  to  regain  his 
feet.  He  and  Randy  caught  the  fellow  under 
his  arms  and,  standing  him  upright,  dragged 
him  to  the  window  upon  which  the  end  of  the 
plank  rested.  They  shoved  him  out,  and  he 
went  rolling  and  sliding  down  the  plank  into 
the  snow.  Randy  followed  him  quickly,  and 
then  came  Jack. 

The  rescue  had  occurred  none  too  soon,  for 


HE  WENT  ROLLING  AND  SLIDING  DOWN  THE  PLANK  INTO 

THE   SNOW. 
The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Hunt.  PaSe  98 


THE  RESCUE  99 

the  wind  was  now  coming  up,  and  soon  the 
overturned  car  was  a  mass  of  smoke  and 
flames  from  end  to  end.  The  boys  left  the 
plank  where  it  was,  and  assisted  the  rescued 
passenger  to  the  little  railroad  station,  where 
all  the  others  who  had  been  injured  had  al- 
ready been  taken. 

The  short,  stocky  man  was  very  much  ex- 
cited and  he  thanked  the  lads  over  and  over 
again  for  what  they  had  done. 

"I  wish  I  was  a  rich  man,"  he  said  sadly,  and! 
now  they  noticed  that  he  spoke  with  a  decided 
accent.  "If  I  was  rich  I  would  pay  all  of  you 
well  for  what  you  have  done.  It  was  very 
noble — very  noble  indeed!  I  shall  never  for- 
get it." 

"We  don't  want  any  reward,"  answered 
Jack. 

"You  young  gentlemen  do  not  look  as  if  you 
needed  any  reward,"  said  the  man,  with  a  little 
smile,  as  he  noted  how  well  dressed  the  youths 
were.  "I  am  a  poor  man,  so  I  can  offer  you 
nothing"  but  my  thanks,  but  those  I  give  you 
with  all  my  heart.  And  now  may  I  ask  your 
names  ?" 

They  told  him,  and  all  shook  hands.  He 
said  his  name  was  Herman  Grouse,  and  that 
Ke  was  a  farmer  working  a  small  place  some 


'loo  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

miles  away.  He  was  plainly  dressed  and  evi- 
dently far  from  wealthy. 

While  the  boys  were  assisting  Herman 
Grouse  to  the  little  railroad  station,  others  had 
gone  into  the  burning  car  and  picked  up  such 
baggage  and  other  things  as  could  be  gotten 
out.  Then  the  car,  which  was  nothing  but  an 
old  rattletrap  affair,  was  allowed  to  burn  up. 

Of  course  the  accident  had  caused  a  great 
ideal  of  excitement,  and  telegrams  were  at  once 
dispatched  to  Leeways  and  Timminsport  for 
assistance. 

"I  think  I'll  send  word  home  that  we  are  all 
right,"  said  Jack.  "The  folks  may  hear  about 
this  accident  and  worry  over  ity"  and  as  soon 
as  he  had  an  opportunity  he  sent  a  message, 
and  Gif  and  Spouter  did  the  same. 

As  the  trains  from  the  north  ran  no  farther 
on  that  branch  than  Enwood,  all  of  the  passen- 
gers on  board  had  been  bound  for  either  that 
place  or  Timminsport.  Consequently  many  of 
those  who  were  injured  remained  in  the  town, 
while  the  others  were  made  as  comfortable  as 
possible  on  the  other  train  and  taken  to  Tim- 
minsport. Fortunately,  no  one  had  been  killed 
or  fatally  hurt.  Herman  Grouse  remained  at 
Enwood.  He  thanked  the  boys  again  most 
heartily  when  they  left  him. 


THE  RESCUE  IOI 

"Maybe  some  day  I  shall  be  able  to  pay  you 
back  for  your  goodness  to  me,"  said  he.  "If 
it  comes  that  way,  I  shall  certainly  do  it/'  and 
then  he  shook  hands  once  more. 

"I  guess  he's  a  German  all  right  enough," 
remarked  Jack,  when  the  boys  were  once  again 
in  the  train  and  it  was  moving  forward,  the 
track  having  been  cleared.  "He  spoke  with  a 
very  strong  German  accent." 

"Yes,  and  his  name  is  undoubtedly  Ger- 
man," said  Randy.  "But  he  was  a  pretty  de- 
cent sort,  anyway." 

"Oh,  a  good  many  of  the  German-Amer» 
icans,  so-called,  are  all  right,"  said  Gif.  "Why, 
there  are  thousands  of  them  in  the  army  and 
in  the  navy,  as  well  as  in  the  air  service.  And 
they  are  fighting  just  as  hard  and  loyally  for 
Uncle  Sam  as  anybody." 

"Sure!"  declared  Andy.  "Look  at  Hans 
Mueller,  who  used  to  be  a  great  chum  of  our 
dads  at  Putnam  Hall.  He's  as  loyal  as  they 
make  'em,  and  he's  in  the  army  too,  and  will 
undoubtedly  give  a  good  account  of  himself." 

"Oh,  I  don't  doubt  but  what  a  lot  of  the 
Germans  are  loyal  to  this  country,"  came  from 
Spouter.  "Just  the  same,  it's  a  good  thing  to 
keep  your  eyes  on  them." 

"Right  you  are!"  cried  Andy.     "Don't  for- 


102  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

get  those  German  spies  we  ran  into  at  the 
offices  in  Wall  Street — the  same  chaps  who 
Were  in  with  Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Martell." 

"I  tell  you  one  thing,"  remarked  Gif,  chang- 
ing the  subject.  "This  accident  is  going  to  get 
us  into  Timminsport  very  late,  and  I  don't 
know  whether  Jed  Wallop  will  be  there  to 
meet  us  or  not."  They  had  sent  word  ahead 
for  the  old  fellow  who  lived  near  the  Cedar 
Lodge  property  to  come  with  his  boxsled  for 
them  and  their  traps. 

"Probably  he  was  hanging  around  the  rail- 
road station  waiting  for  the  train  to  come  in, 
and,  if  so,  he  must  have  heard  about  the  acci- 
dent, and  he  would  be  very  anxious  about  you, 
(Gif,"  remarked  Jack. 

"Well,  we'll  see  when  we  get  there.  But  if 
Jed  isn't  there.,  I  don't  know  what  we  can  do 
for  the  night.  I  don't  believe  Timminsport 
has  any  hotel  fit  to  stop  at,  and  it  wouldn't  be 
a  very  nice  hike  of  five  or  six  miles  to  Cedar 
Lodge  in  the  dark  and  through  the  snow." 

With  so  many  hurt  passengers  on  board,  the 
engineer  was  careful,  and  so  did  not  run  very 
fast,  and  as  a  consequence  it  was  well  after 
dark  by  the  time  they  rolled  into  Timmins"- 
port.  Quite  a  crowd  was  collected  at  the 
depot,  anxious  to  get  the  particulars  of  the 


THE  RESCUE  103 

accident,  and  also  to  meet  those  who  needed 
asistance.  The  two  doctors  living  in  that  vi- 
cinity had  been  summoned  and  were  on  hand 
to  give  all  the  aid  possible. 

"There  is  Jed  Wallop  now !"  cried  Gif  pres- 
ently, and  pointed  to  a  tall,  angular  individual 
wrapped  up  in  a  shaggy  overcoat  and  wearing 
an  equally  shaggy  cap  with  the  eartabs  tieci 
down  under  his  chin. 

"Hello,  Jed!"  he  cried  cheerfully,  and 
shoved  his  way  forward  to  greet  the  man. 

Jed  Wallop  proved  to  be  so  excited  that  he 
hardly  paid  attention  to  Gif's  greetings  nor  to 
his  introduction  to  the  other  youths  from 
Colby  Hall. 

"I'm  lookin'  fer  a  cousin  o'  mine — Tim  Doo- 
little,"  he  exclaimed.  "I  heard  as  how  he  was' 
in  the  accident.  Did  you  see  him?" 

"I  don't  know  the  man,  Jed,"  answered  Gif. 
"The  hurt  ones  are  all  in  the  forward  car." 

Jed  Wallop  pushed  his  way  through  the 
crowd  and  soon  found  the  man  he  was  seeking. 
The  poor  fellow  had  one  arm  in  a  sling  and 
had  several  cuts  on  his  face,  and  declared  him-; 
self  very  much  "shook  up"  and  rather  weak. 

"Well,  by  gosh!  I'm  mighty  glad  you 
wasn't  killed,  Tim,"  declared  Wallop.  "Now, 
what  you  goin'  to  do  with  yourself?  You 


104  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

can't  go  up  to  Burke's  Camp  in  that  condition." 

"No,  I  can't,"  answered  Tim  Doolittle.  "I've 
got  to  rest  up  fer  a  spell  and  git  this  sprained 
arm  o'  mine  fit  fer  work  agin.  I  was  thinkin* 
I  might  ride  over  to  Uncle  Joe's  place  if  I  could 
git  anyone  to  take  me." 

"I  can  take  you  there  myself.  I  can  git  a 
sleigh  from  Hank  Miller  and  do  it — that  is,  if 
these  young  fellers  would  be  willin'  to  drive 
over  to  Cedar  Lodge  alone,"  added  Jed  Wal- 
lop, looking  anxiously  at  Gif  and  his  com- 
panions. 

"I  suppose  I  could  do  that,"  answered  Gif 
slowly.  "I  don't  know  the  way  very  well,  but 
I  think  I  could  make  it." 

"Oh,  it's  a  putty  straight  road,  Gif,"  said 
Wallop.  "You  can't  miss  your  way  if  you  keep 
your  eyes  open.  Whenever  you  strike  the 
crossroads  keep  to  the  right  every  time,  and 
then  you  won't  git  left,"  and  he  chuckled  a 
little  over  his  joke. 

"How  are  the  team  and  the  boxsled?" 

"All  right.  You  know  them  horses — Mary 
and  John,  a  very  reliable  team.  They  won't 
run  away,  and  they'll  make  good  time." 

"All  right  then,  Jed.  Just  show  me  where 
the  sled  is,  and  then  you  can  go  off  and  take 
care  of  your  cousin,"  said  Gif.  "We'll  have  to 


THE  RESCUE  105 

stay  in  town  for  a  while  and  see  if  we  can't 
pick  up  some  grub  and  at  least  enough  supplies 
to  last  us  for  a  few  days." 

So  the  matter  was  arranged,  and  a  few  min- 
utes later  Jed  Wallop  went  off  to  see  what  he 
could  do  about  caring  for  his  injured  cousin. 

"It's  all  right  for  him  to  look  after  his 
cousin,"  remarked  Gif.  "But  that  leaves  us  to 
go  on  alone.  I  hope  we  find  everything  at 
Cedar  Lodge  all  right." 

"Oh,  it  will  be  a  lark  to  go  on  all  alone!" 
cried  Fred.  "We  don't  want  that  fellow  along. 
We  can  get  along  alone  very  well." 

"I  know  what  I  want  to  do  first  of  all,"  de- 
clared Andy.  "I  want  to  get  a  bite  to  eat. 
That  sandwich  I  had  didn't  satisfy  me  at  all." 

"All  right,  we'll  go  to  that  restaurant  I  spoke 
about,"  said  Gif.  "Then  we'll  get  our  pro- 
visions and  be  on  the  way  to  the  Lodge." 


CHAPTER  XI 

ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE 

THE  restaurant  Gif  had  in  mind  was  a  small 
affair  located  on  a  side  street  directly  behind 
the  railroad  station.  Leaving  their  handbag- 
gage  at  the  station  in  a  pile  with  numerous 
other  bags,  and  their  guns  with  the  station- 
master,  they  made  their  way  to  this  resort. 
Ordinarily  at  this  time  of  night  the  restaurant 
was  doing  very  little  business,  but  on  account 
of  the  accident  many  'people  had  dropped  in, 
so  the  tables  presented  a  lively  appearance. 

"We'll  have  some  difficulty  in  finding  seats, 
I  guess,"  remarked  Jack,  looking  around. 

"There  are  a  couple  of  small  tables  over  in 
the  alcove,"  came  from  Spouter.  "We  might 
shove  them  together,  and  I  guess  they'll  hold 
us  all." 

This  was  done,  and  after  a  wait  of  several 
minutes  a  girl  came  to  take  their  orders. 

"What  have  you  got  ready?"  questioned  Gif. 
"There  is  no  use  of  our  waiting  to  have  any- 

106 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE 

thing  cooked  to  order,"  he  continued  to  his 
chums. 

The  girl  named  over  a  variety  of  things,  in- 
cluding hot  pork  and  beans,  roast  beef  with 
potatoes  and  turnips,  and  also  several  kinds 
of  sandwiches  and  pies,  and  also  tea  and  coffee. 

"Those  things  will  do  first  rate,  I  guess," 
cried  Fred.  "Me  for  a  dish  of  pork  and  beans 
and  a  good  hot  cup  of  coffee !" 

It  did  not  take  the  cadets  long  to  give  their 
orders,  and  the  girl  bustled  off  to  serve  them. 
While  the  lads  were  waiting  for  the  things  to 
be  brought,  Andy  happened  to  glance  across 
the  restaurant  at  the  other  patrons  and  sud- 
denly gave  a  low  whistle  of  surprise. 

"Look  who's  here,  will  you!"  he  exclaimed. 

All  looked  in  the  direction  pointed  out,  and 
there,  at  a  side  table,  saw  Bill  Glutts,  Gabe 
Werner  and  Henry  Stowell. 

"My  gracious!  what  do  you  know  about 
that?"  ejaculated  Randy.  "Glutts,  Werner  and 
Codfish !" 

"What  can  those  fellows  be  doing  in  Tim- 
minsport?"  demanded  Spouter.  • 

"Say!  I  think  I  know  the  answer  to  that 
question,"  returned  Jack  quickly.  He  looked 
at  his  cousin  Fred.  "Don't  you  remember 
what  Bill  and  Gabe  said  in  the  moving  picture 


108  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

theater  about  going  up  to  some  camp  to  hunt? 
I  wager  that  camp  is  located  somewhere  in 
this  vicinity." 

"That  must  be  it !"  answered  Fred. 

"However  did  they  get  poor  Codfish  to 
Come  along  with  them?"  queried  Andy. 
"They'll  plague  the  life  out  of  that  little 
Sneak." 

"They'll  make  a  regular  servant  of  him, 
that's  what  they'll  do !"  answered  his  twin. 

"If  they  came  up  here  to  hunt,  I  hope  they 
are  not  going  to  settle  down  anywhere  near 
Cedar  Lodge,"  remarked  Gif.  "I'd  hate  to 
have  those  fellows  saddled  on  me  while  I  was 
trying  to  have  some  fun." 

"I  wonder  if  they  saw  us?"  questioned  Fred. 

"Let's  not  take  any  notice  of  them,"  advised 
Jack.  "I'd  rather  go  my  way  and  let  them  go 
theirs." 

To  this  the  others  readily  agreed.  They 
were  soon  served  with  the  things  they  had  or- 
dered and  lost  no  time  in  making  away  with 
the  food.  Then  they  hurried  out  of  the  resort, 
leaving  Glutts,  Werner  and  Codfish  still  at  the 
table  which  they  occupied.  The  two  bullies 
had  lighted  cigarettes. 

"Now  let's  skip  over  to  one  of  the  general 
stores  and  see  what  we  can  get  in  the  way  of 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE    109, 

provisions,"  said  Gif.  "We'll  have  to  hurry 
up,  or  the  storekeeper  may  close  up  on  us." 

"I've  got  the  list  here,  Gif,"  declared  Jack. 
"Show  us  where  the  store  is,  and  then  you 
bring  around  the  team  with  the  boxsled.  By 
that  time  maybe  we'll  have  most  of  our  things 
bought." 

The  store  proved  to  be  a  low,  rambling  affair 
filled  with  a  hundred  and  one  varieties  of 
goods,  some  looking  quite  fresh  and  others 
with  the  appearance  of  having  been  in  stock  for 
some  years. 

The  storekeeper  was  pleased  to  serve  them, 
especially  when  he  realized  that  their  pur- 
chases would  be  for  cash.  Jack  and  the  others 
knew  exactly  what  they  wanted,  and  picked 
out  everything  with  care. 

"I  guess  you  young  fellows  have  been  up  in 
the  woods  before,"  remarked  the  storekeeper, 
with  a  shrewd  look. 

"We  have  been,  although  not  around  here," 
answered  Jack. 

"Thought  you  had  by  the  way  you're  or- 
dering. Some  of  them  fellows  that  come  up 
here  have  no  more  idee  about  what  is  wanted 
in  a  camp  than  nothing  at  all.  They  take 
along  the  most  ridiculous  things,  and  some- 
times leave  out  coffee  and  sugar  and  salt  and 


JIG  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

bacon  and  things  like  that  which  a  feller  has 
jest  got  to  have." 

Gif  had  brought  around  the  boxsled,  and 
into  this  the  storekeeper's  assistant  piled  the 
various  boxes  and  bags  which  contained  the 
provisions  they  had  purchased.  The  things 
made  quite  a  load,  so  that  the  six  cadets  had 
about  all  they  could  do  to  get  in  themselves. 

"We  sure  would  have  been  crowded  had 
Jed  Wallop  been  along,"  remarked  Fred,  who 
was  squeezed  in  on  top  of  some  boxes  with 
Randy  on  one  side  of  him  and  Spouter  on  the 
other.  Gif  was  up  in  front  driving,  with  Jack 
and  Andy  beside  him. 

"Let  her  go!"  cried  Andy  gayly.  "Hurrah 
for  Cedar  Lodge !" 

"Hold  on !"  exclaimed  Jack  suddenly.  "Are 
you  fellows  going  up  there  without  your  suit- 
cases and  guns?" 

At  this  there  came  a  groan  from  nearly  all 
of  the  others. 

"Gee  !  I  forgot  all  about  those  suitcases  and 
firearms." 

"Where  in  the  world  are  we  going  to  place 
them?" 

"If  we  put  the  suitcases  in,  we'll  surely  have 
to  walk!" 

"Oh,  we'll  stow  'em  in  somehow,"  declared 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE 

Gif.  "You  fellows  don't  know  how  to  load  a 
boxsled." 

"I  know  what  we  can  do !"  cried  Jack.  "Let 
us  get  a  few  loose  packing-case  boards  and 
stand  them  up  around  the  back  of  the  sled. 
We  can  place  the  boxes  against  them,  and  then 
pile  the  suitcases  on  top,  and  the  tops  of  the. 
boards  will  hold  them  in.  The  guns  can  go  in 
anywhere." 

"That's  the  stuff!"  said  Spouter  and  he  and 
Gif  and  Andy  hurried  back  to  the  store  to  get 
the  boards  and  arrange  them  as  suggested. 

In  the  meantime,  Jack,  Fred  and  Randy  hur- 
ried in  the  direction  of  the  railroad  station  to 
get  the  six  suitcases  and  the  guns  which  had 
been  left  there.  They  found  the  crowd  had 
thinned  out  somewhat,  although  quite  a  few 
people  were  still  present. 

It  did  not  take  the  three  lads  long  to  find  the 
six  suitcases,  and,  armed  with  two  each  and 
with  all  the  guns,  they  trudged  back  to  where 
they  had  left  the  boxsled.  Then  the  suitcases 
were  piled  up  and  tied  fast  to  the  upright 
boards  and  to  the  boxsled  itself,  so  that  they 
might  not  be  jounced  off.  The  guns  were 
placed  in  the  bottom  alongside  the  boxes. 

"Now  then,  pile  in,  and  we'll  be  getting  to 
the  Lodge,"  cried  Gif.  "I  can  tell  you  fellows 


j  12  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

I  am  mighty  anxious  to  see  the  old  place,  to 
see  if  it  looks  like  it  did  when  I  was  here  last." 

The  youths  were  just  stowing  themselves 
away  on  the  sled  when  there  came  a  cry  from 
out  of  the  darkness,  and  three  fellows  came 
hurrying  through  the  snow  from  the  direction 
of  the  railroad  station. 

"Hi,  there !  Stop !"  called  out  the  foremost 
of  the  trio.  "Stop,  I  tell  you !" 

"Why.  it's  Gabe  Werner!"  exclaimed 
Randy.  "What  can  he  want  of  us  ?" 

In  a  moment  more  the  big  bully  was  beside 
the  sled,  and  Glutts  and  Codfish  followed  him. 

"Thought  you  were  mighty  smart,  eh?" 
cried  Gabe  Werner  angrily.  "Another  min- 
ute, and  I  suppose  you  would  have  been  gone  !" 

"What  do  you  want,  Werner?"  demanded 
Jack. 

"What  are  you  fellows  doing  in  this  neigh- 
borhood?" questioned  Fred. 

"What  we  are  doing  here  is  our  business," 
answered  Werner  sourly.  "What  I  want  of 
you  is  my  suitcase." 

"Your  suitcase?"  queried  several  of  the 
others. 

"Yes,  my  suitcase !  Oh,  you  needn't  play 
the  innocent!  I  know  you've  got  my  suit- 
case somewhere  on  this  boxsled.  But  you're 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE          113 

not  going  to  get  away  with  it.    Hand  it  over, 
or  I'll  call  a  policeman." 

Gabe  Werner  was  very  much  in  earnest,  and 
his  face  was  red  with  anger  and  resentment. 
He  reached  up  and  caught  hold  of  the  lines 
which  Gif  held  in  his  hands. 

"Drop  those  lines,  Werner!"  cried  Gif 
quickly.  "Drop  them,  I  say!" 

"I  want  my  suitcase !  You  had  no  business 
to  touch  it !" 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  your  suit- 
case," declared  Gif.  He  turned  to  the  others. 
"We  haven't  anything  but  our  own  bags,  have 
we?" 

"I  don't  think  we  have,"  declared  Jack. 

"I  know  better !"  grumbled  Werner. 

"I'll  bet  they've  got  it  and  are  hiding  it 
away,"  declared  Bill  Glutts.  "They  took  a 
whole  lot  of  bags  away  just  as  we  were  coming 
up.  The  baggage  master  saw  'em." 

"I'm  glad  they  didn't  get  my  bag!"  cried 
Codfish,  who  was  lugging  a  good-sized  Glad- 
stone. 

"If  we  took  your  bag  it  must  have  been  byt 
mistake,"  said  Randy.  "I  looked  at  the  mark- 
ings pretty  carefully  though." 

"So  did  I,"  said  Fred. 

"Well,   we'll   make   sure,"   remarked  Jack, 


II4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

and  brought  out  a  flashlight  which  he  had 
taken  from  his  own  suitcase  for  posible  use  on 
the  road.  He  flashed  the  light  in  the  direction 
of  the  six  suitcases,  and  he  and  his  chums 
looked  over  all  of  the  markings  with  care. 

"How  is  your  bag  marked?"  questioned 
,Gif. 

"G.  A.  W.,"  answered  Werner. 

"Well,  you  can  see  for  yourself  that  there 
is  no  such  marking  on  any  of  these  bags,"  de- 
clared Jack.  "There  is  my  own.  These  two 
belong  to  Andy  and  Randy.  This  is  Fred's, 
and  here  is  Gif's  and  that  one  is  Spouter's. 

"Maybe  they've  got  it  hidden  under  the 
blankets,  or  something  like  that,"  suggested 
Glutts. 

"There  are  no  other  suitcases  in  this  box- 
sled,"  declared  Gif  flatly. 

"We'll  take  a  look  and  make  sure." 

"You'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort,  Gabe  Wer- 
ner!" and  now,  with  flashing  eyes,  Gif  raised 
his  whip  as  if  to  bring  it  down  over  the  bully's 
head. 

|  "Hold  on,  Gif!  Don't  do  anything  like 
that,"  advised  Jack.  "Let  them  look  around 
the  sled  if  they  want  to.  Then  they  will  know 
we're  telling  the  truth.  If  we  go  off  without 
giving  them  a  chance  to  look,  they  may  com- 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  CEDAR  LODGE    115 

plain  to  the  authorities  here  and  make  a  lot  of 
trouble  for  us." 

"All  right,  then,  go  ahead  and  look,"  an- 
swered Gif,  leaping  from  the  boxsled.  "But 
( don't  you  harm  any  of  our  things,  or  you'll 
hear  from  me." 

Jack  flashed  the  light  into  the  sled,  and  Wer- 
ner and  Glutts  made  an  examination  of  the 
contents.  Of  course,  they  found  no  other  bag- 
gage, and  so  drew  back  in  disgust. 

"I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Werner  lamely. 
"I  left  that  bag  there  in  the  station  master's 
care  while  I  and  the  others  went  to  get  some- 
thing to  eat.  Now  my  bag  is  gone." 

"Well,  that  is  none  of  our  affair,"  answered 
Jack.  "Come  on,  fellows,  it's  getting  late.  Let's 
be  on  the  way." 

"I'll  get  that  bag  back,  or  I'll  make  the 
station  master  pay  for  it,"  grumbled  Gabe 
Werner,  and  then  he  and  his  cronies  turned  on 
their  heels  and  walked  back  in  the  direction  of 
the  railroad  station. 

"Gee !  somebody  must  have  walked  off  with 
his  bag  while  he  was  eating,"  remarked  Fred. 
"Rather  tough  luck  if  he  had  anything  of  real 
value  in  it." 

"Serves  him  right — for  being  so  cross  and 
cranky,"  was  Andy's  comment.  But  the  bag 


Il6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

had  not  been  stolen.  It  had  been  simply  mis- 
placed, as  was  afterwards  proven. 

Once  more  the  boys  adjusted  themselves  on 
the  boxsled,  and  then  Gif  took  up  the  reins  and 
spoke  to  the  team.  Off  they  started  at  a  walk, 
but  soon  broke  into  a  slow  trot  as  the  sled 
began  to  go  down  a  long  slope  leading  in  the 
direction  of  Cedar  Lodge. 

The  way  was  little  more  than  a  woods  road, 
winding  in  and  out  among  the  trees.  They  had 
to  mount  several  small  hills,  and  on  these  the 
horses  settled  down  to  a  very  slow  walk. 

"I  guess  Jed  Wallop  was  right  about  Mary 
and  John  not  running  away,"  came  from 
Randy.  "I  don't  think  anything  short  of  an 
earthquake  could  start  'em  into  a  gallop." 

"They  are  lumber-camp  horses,  used  to 
drawing  pretty  heavy  loads,"  explained  Gif. 
"They  may  not  be  very  much  on  speed,  but 
on  the  other  hand  you  can  depend  on  their 
pulling  us  out  of  any  tight  hole  where  fancy 
horses  might  get  stuck." 


CHAPTER  XII 

AT  THE  FROZEN-UP  SPRING 

ON  and  on  went  the  boxsled  carrying  the 
Rovers  and  their  chums,  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  woods.  Occasionally  the  road  was  soj 
narrow  that  they  brushed  the  snow-laden 
bushes  on  one  side  or  the  other. 

"Hi  there,  Gif,  look  out !"  cried  Randy  pres- 
ently. A  bush  had  been  turned  aside  by  those 
ahead,  and  now  it  slipped  back,  covering 
Randy's  face  with  loose  snow. 

"I'm  sorry,  Randy,"  returned  Gif.  "But 
we've  got  to  take  this  road  as  it  comes.  You'll 
have  to  watch  out,  just  as  the  others  are  do- 
ing.5' 

There  was  a  smoky  lantern  dangling  from 
the  front  of  the  boxsled,  but  this  gave  little 
light.  The  moon  was  down  beyond  the  trees, 
and  only  the  diamond-like  stars  glittered  over- 
head. 

"How  much  further  have  we  got  to  go?" 
questioned  Jack  presently,  after  they  had 

117 


Il8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

passed  a  crossroads  and  kept  to  the  right,  as 
Jed  Wallop  had  directed. 

"I  think  we  have  covered  about  half  the  dis- 
tance, Jack,"  was  the  reply  of  the  young  driver. 
"Still,  I'm  not  sure.  You  know  a  boxsled  isn't 
like  an  auto — it  doesn't  carry  a  speedometer." 

"Gee !  an  auto  would  have  been  there  and 
back  two  or  three  times  since  we  started,"  was 
Fred's  comment. 

"Not  in  this  snow,"  came  from  Spouter.  "I 
think  you'd  get  stuck  in  some  of  these  deep 
places." 

"They  do  use  a  few  cars  up  here  in  the 
winter,  but  not  many,"  said  Gif.  "It's  too  un- 
certain." 

To  make  the  time  pass  more  quickly,  Jack 
started  one  of  the  old  school  songs,  and  the 
others  joined  him.  Then  they  ended  with  the 
well-known  Colby  Hall  cry: 

"Who  are  we? 
Can't  you  see? 
Colby  Hall! 

Dum!     Dum!    Dum,  dum,  dum! 
Here   we    come   with    fife    and   drum! 
Colby!    Colby!    Colby  Hall!" 

"I  wonder  what  tfie  neighbors  will  think:  if 
they  hear  us,"  remarked  Randy. 

"I  don't  think  there  are  any  neighbors  very 


AT  THE  FROZEN -UP  SPRING  ng 

close/'  answered  Gif.  "There  was  a  house 
some  distance  back,  but  I  don't  know  of  any 
others  between  here  and  Cedar  Lodge.  The 
other  places  are  beyond  the  point  where  we 
turn  off  to  go  down  to  the  bungalow." 

They  had  now  to  make  several  sharp  turns, 
and  at  these  spots  the  road  was  unusually 
rough.  One  runner  of  the  boxsled  went  up  on 
some  rocks,  and  for  a  moment  it  looked  as  if 
the  turnout  would  upset. 

"Look  out  there,  Gif!" 

"You'll  have  us  in  the  snow  with  the  sled  on 
top  of  us!" 

"Git  along  there,  Mary  and  John !"  cried  the 
young  driver.  "Git  along!"  and  he  cracked 
his  whip,  and  soon  the  team  had  pulled  the 
boxsled  from  the  rocks,  and  then  going  be- 
came better. 

"We  ought  to  be  coming  to  a  signboard 
soon,"  declared  Gif  a  few  minutes  later.  I 
remember  there  used  to  be  one  on  the  road, 
pointing  to  a  number  of  camps  north  of  this 
place." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  came  to  the  spot  he 
had  mentioned,  but  to  his  disappointment 
there  was  no  signboard  to  be  seen. 

"Someone  must  have  taken  it  down,  or  else 
it  fell  of  itself,"  he  remarked. 


120 

"Are  you  quite  sure  you're  on  the  right 
road?"  questioned  Andy. 

"It  would  be  fierce  to  have  to  turn  back  this 
time  of  night,"  added  his  twin. 

"Oh,  I'm  pretty  sure  this  is  the  right  road," 
answered  their  chum.  Nevertheless,  his  face 
showed  a  doubtful  look.  Not  to  find  the  sign- 
board which  had  been  a  landmark  in  that 
vicinity  for  many  years  puzzled  him. 

A  little  later  they  came  to  where  the  road 
branched  out  in  three  directions,  the  road  on 
the  right  being  narrow  and  running  directly 
into  a  thick  patch  of  woods. 

"Whoa!"  cried  Gif  to  the  team,  and  then 
he  looked  around  more  puzzled  than  ever,  and 
shook  his  head. 

"What's  wrong  now?"  asked  Jack. 

"I  guess  I'm  stumped,"  was  the  slow  reply. 
"I  can't  remember  this  spot  at  all." 

"Oh,  Gif,  don't  tell  us  we're  on  the  wrong 
road  after  all !"  exclaimed  Andy. 

"Jed  Wallop  told  us  to  keep  to  the  right," 
announced  Spouter.  "We've  been  doing  that, 
and  we  might  as  well  do  it  now." 

"But  that  road  doesn't  look  as  if  it  leads 
to  anywhere,"  declared  Fred. 

"It's  a  mighty  narrow  road,  too,"  returned 
Gif.  "We  might  get  down  in  among  the  trees 


AT  THE  FROZEN-UP  SPRING  121 

and  be  unable  to  turn  around,  and  then  what 
would  we  do?" 

"Better  stay  here,  Gif,  while  I  walk  ahead 
and  investigate,"  said  Jack. 

"Better  take  a  gun  along,  in  case  you  stir 
up  something  you  don't  want  to  meet," 
warned  Fred. 

"Not  a  bad  idea,"  and,  reaching  down  into 
the  boxsled,  Jack  brought  out  one  of  the 
weapons  that  had  been  placed  there. 

"If  you  see  a  moose  shoot  him  on  the  spot!" 
cried  Randy. 

"What  spot?"  queried  his  twin  gayly.  "A 
spot  on  the  end  of  his  tail  or  the  tip  of  his 
ear  wouldn't  be  of  much  account." 

"I  don't  see  how  you  can  joke,  Andy,  when 
we're  lost  away  out  here  in  the  woods  and  it's 
past  midnight,"  came  ruefully  from  Fred.  "I'd 
give  as  much  as  a  dollar  to  be  at  the  Lodge 
and  lying  down  in  front  of  a  roaring  fire.  I'm 
getting  pretty  cold." 

They  were  all  cold,  for  since  nightfall  the 
thermometer  had  been  going  down  steadily. 
More  than  this,  the  wind  was  rising,  and  this 
in  the  open  places  was  anything  but  pleasant  to 
the  cadets. 

"I'll  go  with  you,  Jack,"  announced  Spouter, 
and  he,  too,  armed  himself  with  his  gun,  a 


122  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

double-barreled  affair  of  which  he  was  quite 
proud. 

Holding  his  flashlight  so  that  they  might  see 
where  they  were  walking,  Jack  led  the  way, 
and  Spouter  came  close  behind.  They  walked 
a  distance  of  several  hundred  feet,  and  here 
found  that  the  road  came  to  an  end  among 
some  rocks  which  were  now  covered  with  ice. 

"It's  a  road  to  a  spring,  that's  all,"  said  Jack. 
"The  water  is  frozen  now,  but  I  suppose  in  the 
summer  time  the  lumbermen  and  the  other 
folks  around  here  occasionally  travel  in  for  a 
drink.  We  may  as  well  go  back." 

"Well,  it's  a  mighty  good  thing  we  didn't 
drive  in  here.  We  might  have  had  a  job  turn- 
ing around  on  that  rough  ice,"  answered 
Spouter. 

The  frozen-up  spring  was  a  beautiful  sight, 
the  water  standing  out  in  columns  and  waves 
as  if  made  of  milky  glass.  Behind  the  columns 
there  was  still  a  trickle  of  water. 

To  get  a  better  view  of  the  sight,  Jack  swept 
the  rays  of  the  flashlight  first  to  one  side  and 
then  to  the  other.  As  he  did  this  he  caught 
a  glimpse  of  a  pair  of  gleaming  eyes  from  the 
brushwood  and  snow  behind  the  spring.  The 
eyes  looked  full  of  curiosity  and  fright. 

"Look,  look,  Spouter!"  he  cried,  and  then 


AT  THE  FRO  ZEN -UP  SPRING  123 

Cropped  the  flashlight  into  his  overcoat  pocket. 

"What  is  it?" 

"I  just  saw  the  eyes  of  some  wild  animal 
back  there.  See !  There  they  are  now !" 

As  Jack  spoke  he  raised  his  gun  and  blazed 
away.  This  shot  was  followed  by  one  from 
Spouter. 

The  reports  were  followed  almost  im- 
mediately by  a  snarl  and  a  whining  cry,  and 
they  heard  some  animal  thrashing  around 
wildly  in  the  bushes  behind  the  spring,  send- 
ing the  loose  snow  flying  in  all  directions. 

"We  hit  it,  whatever  it  is,"  announced  Jack. 

"What  do  you  suppose  it  can  be?"  ques- 
tioned Spouter  quickly.  "It  wasn't  a  deer, 
was  it?" 

"I  don't  think  so,  Spouter.  It  was  too  low 
down  for  that.  Maybe  it  was  a  fox,  although 
it  didn't  sound  like  it." 

"Perhaps  there  are  brook  mink  around  this 
spring." 

"Maybe." 

"Are  you  going  back  there  to  find  out?" 
went  on  Spouter,  for  the  sounds  in  the  brushi 
wood  had  now  ceased. 

"Sure,  I'm  going  back  there!  You  don't 
suppose  I'm  going  to  let  any  game  get  away 
from  us !" 


124  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Be  careful,  Jack.  That  animal  may  be 
playing  possum,  you  know,  and  may  spring 
out  at  you." 

"Don't  worry;  I'll  be  on  my  guard,"  an- 
swered Jack. 

He  had  slipped  another  charge  into  his  gun, 
and  Spouter  quickly  did  likewise.  Then,  with 
their  weapons  ready  for  use  and  with  the 
flashlight  held  so  that  it  cast  its  rays  ahead,' 
they  cautiously  moved  around  to  one  side  of 
the  frozen  spring  and  made  their  way  in  the 
direction  of  the  bushes  and  rocks  in  the  rear. 

"Hello  there!  what  are  you  shooting  at?'* 
The  cry  came  from  where  the  pair  had  left  the 
boxsled.  It  was  Gif  who  was  calling. 

"We  don't  know  yet,"  answered  Jack. 

"We  saw  a  pair  of  eyes,  and  we  shot  at 
them,"  added  Spouter. 

"Gee!  what  do  you  know  about  that?"  ex-» 
claimed  Fred.  "Hunting  before  we  ever  reach 
the  Lodge!" 

"Let's  go  ahead  and  see  what  they  struck/' 
Came  from  Randy. 

"That's  the  talk !"  added  his  twin. 

Gif  was  willing,  and  in  a  moment  more  the 
four  lads  had  scrambled  down  from  the  box- 
sled  and  were  making  their  way  along  the  road 
leading  to  the  spring.  By  this  time  Jack  and 


'AT  THE  FRO  ZEN -UP  SPRING  125 

Spouter  had  advanced  through  the  brushwood 
and  over  the  rocks  close  to  the  spot  where 
they  had  last  seen  the  gleaming  eyes.  As 
they  went  on  Jack  imagined  once  or  twice  he 
saw  somethmg  moving  through  the  snow, 
but  of  this  he  was  not  certain. 

"Here  is  where  we  hit  it,  whatever  it  was/' 
declared  Spouter,  when  they  reached  the 
point  directly  behind  the  spring.  "See  how 
the  snow  is  dug  up?" 

"Yes,  and  here  are  some  drops  of  blood," 
said  Jack,  as  he  turned  the  flashlight  on  the 
snow.  "But  whatever  it  was,  it  got  away," 
he  added  disappointedly. 

"What  have  you  got?"  sang  out  Gif,  for  he 
and  the  others  had  come  up  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  spring. 

"We  haven't  got  anything,"  answered 
Spouter  dolefully.  "We  hit  something,  but 
it  got  away  from  us." 

"It  wasn't  a  moose,  was  it?"  queried  Randy 
with  great  interest. 

"No,  I  think  it  was  a  three-horned  ele- 
phant," replied  Jack,  who  was  not  then  in  the/ 
best  of  humor.  He  hated  to  have  the  first 
thing  he  shot  at  get  away  from  him. 

"Well,  this  seems  to  be  the  end  of  this  road,** 
remarked  Gif,  looking  around. 


126  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Yes,  it  only  led  down  to  this  frozen-up 
spring,"  answered  Spouter. 

"I  move  we  go  on,"  said  Fred.  "I'm  cold, 
and  I'm  sleepy  too." 

"I  think  we're  all  that  way,"  answered  Gif= 
"Come  on,  you  fellows.  No  use  of  remaining 
around  here.  If  that  animal  got  away  it 
probably  moved  off  quite  a  distance." 

"That  would  depend  on  how  badly  it  was 
wounded,"  answered  Jack.  "Just  wait  a  minute, 
and  I'll  see  if  I  can't  find  its  trail." 

Aided  by  the  flashlight,  he  looked  around 
carefully,  and  presently  made  out  some  tracks 
in  the  snow  leading  in  the  direction  of  a  near- 
by  thicket.  He  moved  to  this,  coming  pres- 
ently to  several  low-hanging  trees. 

"See  anything?"  questioned  Fred  impa- 
tiently. 

"Not  yet.  But  the  trail  is  here  as  plain  as 
can  be." 

"Maybe  those  are  only  rabbit  tracks,"  re- 
marked Randy. 

"Or  tracks  of  the  animals  that  came  down 
to  the  spring  for  a  drink,"  put  in  Gif. 

Jack  did  not  answer.  He  was  flashing  the 
light  around  carefully,  inspecting  all  the  trees 
and  bushes  in  that  vicinity.  Suddenly  the  light 
was  flashed  upward,  and  as  the  rays  ran  along 


AT  THE  FRO  ZEN -UP  SPRING 


127 


one  of  the  branches  of  the  tree  directly  in 
front  of  the  youth  there  came  a  sudden  snarl 
of  rage  and  protest. 

"It's  a  wildcat!"  ejaculated  Spouter,  whose 
eyes  had  also  been  following  the  rays  of  light. 
"A  wildcat !" 

"Yes,  and  it's  the  animal  we  wounded,"  an- 
swered Jack.  "See  how  it  is  holding  up  one 
of  its  front  paws." 

"Be  careful!"  sang  out  Gif,  in  alarm.  "A 
wounded  wildcat  is  no  beast  to  play  with." 

Scarcely  had  he  uttered  the  words  when  the 
wildcat  gave  another  snarl  of  rage.  Then  the 
tail  of  the  beast  began  to  quiver,  and  suddenly, 
with  a  cry,  it  leaped  down  from  the  tree,  strik- 
ing the  ground  directly  in  front  of  the  sur- 
prised boys. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD 

THAT  the  wildcat  was  in  a  savage  mood  and 
prepared  to  fight  to  a  finish,  there  could  be  no 
doubt.  Evidently  the  wounded  paw  had  made 
the  beast  more  savage  than  usual,  and  hardly 
had  it  struck  the  ground  than  it  tried  to  make 
a  leap  forward  at  Jack. 

"Look  out,  Jack !" 

"He  means  to  claw  you  to  death !" 

Bang!  went  Spouter's  gun,  but  he  did  not 
dare  to  take  too  close  an  aim  for  fear  of  hit- 
ting Jack,  and  as  a  consequence  the  charge  o! 
shot  merely  damaged  the  wildcat's  tail. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  the  oldest  Rover, 
was  slow  in  moving.  Had  this  been  true,  the 
wildcat  would  undoubtedly  have  fastened  its 
claws  and  its  teeth  into  the  youth  and  done 
serious  damage.  As  the  animal  came  forward, 
the  young  captain  leaped  to  one  side  and  the 
wildcat  landed  in  the  snow,  facing  the  others 
who  had  come  up. 

128 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD 

"Shoot  him!  Shoot  him!"  came  from  Fred 
excitedly. 

"Plug  him  quick!"  added  Andy. 

None  of  those  who  had  followed  Jack  and 
Spouter  were  armed,  so  the  fight  rested  en- 
tirely upon  the  shoulders  of  that  pair.  Circ- 
ling around  so  as  to  avoid  the  others,  Jack 
pulled  the  trigger  and  fired.  The  wildcat  be- 
gan flipping  and  flopping  on  the  snow,  badly 
wounded.  Then  Spouter  discharged  his  fire- 
arm once  more,  and  after  this  the  creature  lay 
quiet  where  it  dropped. 

"Is — is  he  dead?"  questioned  Fred,  who  was 
the  first  to  speak.  The  youngest  Rover  was 
very  much  excited,  and  with  good  cause. 

"Wait !  Don't  go  forward  !"  ordered  Jack, 
as  he  stepped  back  a  few  paces.  "He  may  be 
playing  possum.  Anyway,  we  had  better  load 
our  guns  first,"  he  added  to  Spouter. 

This  advice  to  load  immediately  after  dis- 
charging a  weapon  was  one  which  had  been 
well  drilled  into  the  cadets,  and  so  now  the 
pair  lost  no  time  in  putting  new  charges  into 
their  weapons.  Then  they  approached  with 
caution,  and  Jack  turned  the  wildcat  over  with 
the  barrel  of  the  gun,  keeping  his  hand  mean- 
while on  the  trigger  ready  for  action. 

But  the  beast  was  quite  dead,  the  charges 


'130  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

from  the  two  guns  having  gone  completely 
through  its  body. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  car- 
cass?" questioned  Randy,  after  all  had  made 
an  inspection. 

"Might  as  well  leave  it  here,"  declared  Fred. 
"It  isn't  good  for  anything.  Even  the  skin  'IB 
all  torn  from  the  shot." 

"No,  we  might  as  well  take  it  along.  We 
can  hang  it  on  the  back  of  the  boxsled,"  said 
Gif.  "Perhaps  we  can  use  the  meat  to  trap 
some  other  wild  animals." 

A  strap  which  one  of  the  boys  happened  to 
carry  was  fastened  around  the  neck  of  the 
wildcat,  and  then  they  carried  it  from  the 
spring  to  where  they  had  left  the  boxsled. 
The  excitement  for  the  time  being  had  caused 
all  of  the  cadets  to  forget  how  late  it  was  and 
how  cold  and  windy  it  was  growing.  But  now, 
when  they  were  once  more  ready  to  drive  off, 
several  of  them  began  to  shiver. 

"It's  going  to  be  mighty  cold  before  morn- 
ing," announced  Randy. 

"Yes,  and  I  wish  we  were  at  that  bungalow 
in  front  of  a  good  log  fire,"  added  Andy. 

"Now  that  we've  discovered  that  wasn't  the 
road,  which  way  do  you  propose  to  go,  Gif?" 
questioned  Jack. 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD  13  x 

"We  won't  count  that  as  a  road,  and  we'll 
take  the  other  one  on  the  right,"  was  the 
reply.  "I  don't  know  of  anything  else  to  do," 
Gif  added,  somewhat  helplessly. 

None  of  the  others  could  give  advice,  for 
the  reason  that  this  territory  was  entirely  new 
to  them.  Even  Spouter,  who  had  visited  the 
woods  a  number  of  times,  had  never  been  in  that 
vicinity. 

Onward  they  went  once  more,  up  a  gentle 
hill  and  then  down  the  slope  on  the  other  side. 
At  the  foot  of  the  hill  the  road  became  rougher 
and  rougher,  and  presently  the  horses  had  .all 
they  could  do  to  make  any  progress. 

"Gif,  this  can't  be  the  right  road,"  declared 
Jack  at  last.  "If  it  was  as  rough  as  this,  Jed 
Wallop  would  have  told  us  about  it.  He  said 
we  wouldn't  have  any  trouble  at  all  in  reach- 
ing Cedar  Lodge." 

"Yes,  and  besides,  we  must  have  come  at 
least  five  or  six  miles,"  added  Spouter, 

"I'll  bet  we've  come  all  of  eight  miles," 
broke  in  Fred. 

i  "That's  just  what  I  think,"  declared  Randy. 
"I'll  bet  an  elephant  against  a  mouse  we're  on 
the  wrong  road." 

"W'ell,  I  won't  dispute  that,  Randy,"  an- 
swered the  young  driver  of  the  boxsled.  "But 


I32  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

you'll  all  bear  witness  to  it  that  I  followed  di- 
rections and  kept  to  the  right." 

The  road  now  ran  along  the  side  of  a  hill- 
Here  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  had  slid  dowri 
over  the  rocks  and  the  going  was  anything 
but  safe.  The  faithful  old  horses  had  all  they 
could  do  to  keep  their  footing. 

"We'll  upset  the  first  thing  you  know!"  ex- 
claimed Fred,  and  he  had  scarcely  spoken  when 
the  runner  on  the  up  side  of  the  road  struck  a 
series  of  rocks,  and  the  next  minute  all  of  the 
boys,  including  Gif,  went  tumbling  from  the 
boxsled,  and  some  of  their  provisions  followed. 

"Whoa  there!  Whoa  there,  Mary  and 
John!"  called  Gif  to  the  team.  But  this  com- 
mand was  not  needed,  for  the  tired  old  horses 
were  only  too  glad  to  stop,  and  had  come  to  a 
halt  the  moment  the  youths  tumbled  off. 

All  had  landed  in  the  snow,  which  at  this 
point  was  rather  deep;  so  none  of  them  was 
seriously  hurt,  although  somebody  stepped  on 
one  of  Randy's  hands  and  Spouter  got  a 
scratch  on  his  ear  from  some  nearby  bushes. 

"Well,  here's  a  mess!"  exclaimed  Fred,  as 
he  picked  himself  up.  "Now  we  are  in  a 
pickle." 

"Oh,  it  might  have  been  worse,"  declared 
Jack,  as  cheerfully  as  he  could,  because  he 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD 


133 


could  easily  see  that  Gif  was  in  a  state  of 
mind  bordering  on  desperation.  "Nobody  is 
seriously  hurt,  I  hope?" 

All  scrambled  up,  and  then  looked  at  the 
roadway  immediately  ahead.  Here  was  a 
somewhat  level  spot,  and  to  this  the  sled  was 
driven,  and  the  lads  picked  up  the  stuff  which 
had  fallen  off  in  the  snow  and  replaced  it,  this 
time  tying  it  down  with  some  ropes  and  straps 
which  were  handy. 

"I  don't  believe  I'll  drive  any  further  on 
this  road,"  said  Gif.  "It  doesn't  seem  to  lead 
to  anywhere,  and  I'm  quite  certain  now  that 
it  isn't  the  way  to  Cedar  Lodge." 

"What  will  you  do?"  asked  Andy.  "Go 
back  to  that  other  road?" 

Everybody  was  stumped,  and  for  several 
seconds  nobody  made  any  reply. 

"Might  as  well  go  back,"  said  Spouter. 

Fred  and  Randy  walked  on  ahead,  trying 
to  determine  where  the  road  led  to.  But  all 
they  could  see  was  the  blackness  of  the  forest, 
and  the  roadway  seemed  to  grow  rougher  and 
more  perilous  at  every  step. 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  turn  the  team  and 
the  boxsled  around  without  spilling  every- 
thing again.  But  it  was  accomplished  at  last, 
and  then  slowly  and  painfully  they  climbed 


134  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

along  the  hill  until  they  reached  the  point 
where  there  had  been  another  split  in  the  road. 
Here  they  came  to  a  halt. 

"Listen!"  cried  Randy  suddenly. 

All  did  as  requested,  and  from  a  distance 
heard  the  low  musical  jingle  of  sleigh  bells. 

"There's  a  sleigh!"  exclaimed  Gif.  "And 
unless  I'm  mistaken,  it's  coming  this  way!" 

They  listened  again,  and  were  overjoyed  to 
note  that  the  sounds  were  gradually  coming 
nearer.  Then  they  stepped  out  behind  the 
boxsled,  and  presently  discerned  a  large  two- 
seated  sleigh,  drawn  by  a  powerful  pair  of 
horses,  approaching. 

The  steeds  were  making  good  time,  despite 
the  roughness  of  the  road  and  the  depth  of 
the  snow. 

"Hi  there !  Hi  there !"  called  out  Gif,  and 
then  Jack  sent  the  rays  of  his  flashlight  toward 
the  on-coming  turnout. 

There  were  exclamations  of  astonishment 
from  those  in  the  sleigh,  and  for  a  moment  it 
looked  to  the  boys  as  if  the  occupants  were 
bent  upon  passing  them  without  paying  any 
attention  to  their  call.  But  then  Gif,  Spouter, 
and  Fred  took  a  position  directly  in  front  of 
the  on-coming  horses,  and  the  driver  brought 
them  snortingly  to  a  sudden  stop. 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD     135 

"What  do  you  fellows  want?"  demanded  a 
heavy  guttural  voice  from  the  sleigh. 

The  words  were  uttered  in  a  German  ac- 
cent, and  by  the  look  of  his  face  the  speaker, 
who  sat  on  the  front  seat  beside  the  driven 
was  evidently  of  Teutonic  origin.  He  glared 
suspiciously  at  those  in  the  roadway,  and  Jack 
and  Gif  afterward  declared  that  they  saw  the 
gleam  of  a  pistol  in  the  man's  hand  as  it  was 
thrust  in  the  flap  of  his  overcoat. 

"We've  lost  our  way,"  said  Gif,  coming  a 
few  steps  closer.  "We  thought  maybe  you 
folks  could  direct  us." 

"Huh !  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  the 
man  in  his  thick  German  accent.  "Where  do 
you  want  to  go?" 

"We  want  to  go  to  Cedar  Lodge.  It's  lo- 
cated somewhere  up  here,  about  five  or  six 
miles  from  Timminsport." 

"Cedar  Lodge!"  said  one  of  the  men  who 
were  seated  on  the  rear  seat  of  the  sleigh. 
"Do  you  mean  the  hunting  lodge  that  is  owned 
by  the  Garrisons?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  you  are  on  the  wrong  road  to  get  to 
that  place,"  said  the  man.  "You'll  have  to  go 
back  the  way  we  came  for  about  half  a  mile, 
and  then  take  the  road  to  the  left.  It  is  in 


136  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

from  this  road,  I  think,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile." 

"Is  it  the  first  road  we  shall  come  to  from 
here  ?"  questioned  Gif,  bound  to  fix  matters  so 
that  he  could  not  make  another  mistake. 

"Yes." 

"Thank  you.    That  is  all  we  want  to  know." 

"What  are  you  young  fellows  going  to  do  at 
that  place?"  queried  the  German  who  was  on 
the  front  seat. 

"We  came  up  here  for  a  season  of  hunting," 
answered  Jack. 

"The  place  belongs  to  my  father  and  my 
uncle,"  explained  Gif.  "My  name  is  Gifford 
Garrison." 

"I  see.  Well,  have  a  good  time,"  said  the 
man  on  the  front  seat  of  the  sleigh.  But  he 
did  not  seem  to  be  particularly  pleased. 

"Have  you  a  hunting  lodge  around  here?" 
questioned  Fred  curiously. 

"No.  We  are  just  taking  a  little  trip  to  visit 
some  friends  up  here,"  answered  the  man  on 
the  back  seat  who  previously  had  not  spoken. 
"We  shall  stay  only  a  day  or  two,"  he  added. 
Then  the  man  on  the  front  seat  spoke  to  the 
driver,  and  away  they  went  once  more,  and 
were  soon  out  of  sight,  taking  the  road  the 
cadets  had  just  been  thinking  of  pursuing. 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  ROAD     137 

"Well,  I'm  mighty  glad  we  met  those  men," 
declared  Gif.  "Now  I  know  where  I  am. 
Thank  goodness!  we  are  not  so  very  far  out 
of  the  way  after  all." 

"Don't  crow,  Gif,  until  you  are  out  of  the 
woods — or  at  least  until  we  are  in  sight  of  the 
Lodge,"  cried  Andy. 

"I  didn't  like  the  looks  of  those  fellows," 
declared  Jack. 

"They  were  a  bunch  of  Germans,  and  not 
very  nice  Germans  at  that,"  said  Fred. 

"Isn't  it  queer  that  we  are  running  into  so 
many  Germans?"  remarked  Spouter.  "First 
that  Herman  Grouse  on  the  train,  and  now 
these  chaps." 

"Oh,  hurry  up,  fellows!  Don't  stand  here 
and  gas !"  ejaculated  Randy.  "Let's  see  if  we 
can't  find  that  lost  Lodge.  I  want  to  get 
warmed  up,  and  I  want  to  go  to  bed." 

Then  the  boxsled  was  turned  around  once 
more  and  the  journey  to  Cedar  Lodge  was  re- 
sumed. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

t 

THE  FIRST  HUNT 

THE  six  cadets  from  Colby  Hall  found  the 
side  road  the  Germans  had  mentioned  with 
ease;  and  after  that  it  was  not  long  before 
they  came  to  a  spot  which  looked  familiar  to 
Gif. 

"Thank  fortune !  we're  on  the  right  road  at 
last,"  cried  the  young  driver  of  the  boxsled. 
"See  those  peculiar  trees  over  there?"  He 
pointed  to  three  all  growing  together.  "I 
know  those  very  well.  We  ought  to  come  in 
sight  of  the  Lodge  now  in  a  few  minutes." 

"Well,  you  can't  get  there  any  too  quick 
for  me,"  declared  Fred,  as  he  gave  a  deep 
yawn. 

The  way  was  over  a  small  bridge  which 
spanned  the  river  Gif  had  mentioned  to  the 
Rover  boys,  and  then  they  passed  through  a 
patch  of  woods  and  to  a  clearing  about  half  an 
acre  in  extent.  In  the  center  of  this  clearing 
was  located  the  Lodge. 


THE  FIRST  HUNT  139 

It  was  a  substantial  and  artistic  log  struc- 
ture, a  single  story  in  height,  with  a  broad 
veranda  running  the  length  of  the  front. 
Right  at  either  end  of  the  lodge  was  a  huge 
cedar  tree,  and  more  cedars  were  at  the  edge 
of  the  clearing.  Behind  the  bungalow  was  a 
small  barn  and  also  a  fair-sized  woodshed  and 
close  by  was  a  small  building  which  Gif  explained 
to  them  was  used  in  the  summer  time  for  a 
kitchen. 

Gif  was  the  first  out  of  the  boxsled,  an,d  he 
lost  no  time  in  unlocking  the  front  door  for 
the  party.  Jack  brought  his  flashlight  into 
play,  and  they  lit  two  lamps  after  filling  them 
with  oil  which  had  been  brought  along. 

"Now  we'll  get  the  stuff  in  from  the  sled, 
and  then  I'll  have  to  put  the  team  away,"  said 
Gif. 

"Let  me  do  that,  Gif,"  said  Jack.  "Just 
show  me  where  they  are  to  go,  then  you  and 
the  others  can  light  the  fire." 

"Yes,  and  we'll  fix  something  to  eat,  too!" 
declared  Randy. 

"I'll  go  out  to  the  stable  with  Jack,"  came 
from  Spouter,  who  was  no  shirker  when  it 
came  to  doing  his  share  of  the  work. 

It  was  not  a  hard  task  to  transfer  the  bag- 
gage and  provisions,  as  well  as  the  guns  and 


I4o  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

team  was  driven  around  to  the  stable,  where 
ammunition,  to  the  Lodge,  and,  this  done,  the 
the  sled  was  run  in  under  a  shed.  Then  Jack 
and  Spouter  proceeded  to  make  Mary  and 
John  at  home  for  the  night. 

In  the  meantime  all  of  the  others  had  gone 
to  the  woodshed  and  returned  to  the  Lodge 
with  sticks  of  various  sizes  for  the  fire.  The 
building  of  this  was  left  to  Gif,  as  it  was  felt 
that  he  was,  in  a  certain  sense,  the  host.  Yet 
all  were  ready  to  help,  and  soon  they  had  a 
big  blaze  roaring  up  the  wide  chimney  and 
gradually  filling  the  bungalow  with  its  warmth. 

The  arrangement  of  the  Lodge  was  very 
simple.  The  living  room  occupied  the  center, 
with  a  sort  of  winter  kitchen  and  entryway 
behind  it.  To  each  side  of  the  living  room  were 
located  two  bedrooms,  one  in  the  front  and  the 
other  in  the  rear.  Above  the  living  room  was  a 
loft  which  could  be  reached  by  a  rustic  pair  of 
stairs,  a  loft  which  could  be  used  only  for  a 
storeroom,  since  it  was  less  than  five  feet  high  in 
the  center,  sloping  to  the  eaves,  front  and  back. 
The  big  chimney  was  in  the  rear  of  the  living 
room,  and  behind  it,  in  the  kitchen,  was  a  stove 
for  cooking. 

"Say,  this  is  just  all  right,"  declared  Fred, 
after  he  had  warmed  up  a  bit  and  taken  a  look 


THE  FIRST  HUNT  I4I 

around.  "We  ought  to  be  as  snug  as  bugs  in 
a  rug  here." 

"We'll  have  to  arrange  about  sleeping  quar- 
ters," remarked  Gif.  "Two  of  the  rooms  have 
a  double  bed  each,  and  the  other  rooms  have 
two  single  beds  each."  The  doors  to*  the  various 
rooms  had  been  left  open  so  that  the  heat  from 
the  fire  might  draw  through  the  entire  Lodge. 

It  was  great  sport  for  the  boys  to  divest 
themselves  of  their  heavy  overcoats  and  caps 
and  then  get  to  work  preparing  the  Lodge  for 
occupancy.  All  of  the  bedclothes  had  to  be 
shaken  out  and  warmed,  and  they  also  had  to 
get  out  some  linen  which  had  been  packed 
away.  Gif,  assisted  by  Andy  and  Randy,  did 
this,  and  meanwhile  Jack,  Spouter,  and  Fred 
brought  out  the  dishes  and  other  things  and 
set  the  table  and  also  began  to  boil  water  for 
some  hot  chocolate,  which  they  had  decided  to 
have,  along  with  some  smoked  beef  and  cheese 
sandwiches  and  some  doughnuts  that  had  been 
brought  along. 

Soon  the  boys  were  seated  around  the  big 
square  table  the  living  room  contained  enjoy^ 
ing  themselves  to  their  hearts'  content.  The 
steaming  chocolate  and  the  things  to  eat  put 
them  in  the  best  possible  humor,  and  their 
troubles  with  Bill  Glutts  and  Gabe  Werner, 


142  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

and  also  with  the  wildcat  and  on  the  road, 
were,  for  the  time  being,  forgotten.  Outside 
the  wind  was  rising,  making  a  mournful  sound 
as  it  swept  through  the  cedars  and  the  other 
trees  in  that  vicinity.  But  inside  the  fire 
crackled  m'errily  and  the  heat  of  the  fitful 
flames  as  they  roared  up  the  chimney  filled  the 
lads  with  satisfaction. 

"We  sure  had  a  tough  time  getting  here," 
declared  Randy,  "but  it  was  worth  it." 

"Isn't  this  just  peachy!"  cried  his  twin,  as, 
with  a  final  doughnut  in  hand,  he  sank  deep 
in  a  rocking  chair  at  one  side  of  the  fireplace. 
"This  suits  me  right  down  to  the  tips  of  my 
toes." 

"I  should  think  it  would  suit  anybody,"  de- 
clared Spouter.  "Why,  this  whole  surround- 
ings has  the  most  artistic  setting  I  ever  be- 
held. Just  think  of  this  rustic  bungalow  nest- 
ling away  in  the  midst  of  this  gigantic  forest, 
and  think  of  this  deep-throated  fireplace  with 
the  flames  soaring  upward,  casting  their  flick- 
ering shadows  hither  and  thither  over  the 
bright  faces — " 

"Of  six  well  fed  and  sleepy  young  fellows 
who  ought  to  be  in  bed  this  minute,"  broke  in 
Jack.  "I  move  we  adjourn  for  the  night  and 
let  Spouter  finish  his  oration  in  the  morning." 


THE  FIRST  HUNT 

"That's  it!  Always  cutting  me  short  when 
I  have  some  beautiful  sentiments  to  express," 
grumbled  the  would-be  orator.  "Never  mind, 
I'll  get  square  with  you  some  day." 

"Never  mind,  Spout.  Don't  take  it  too 
hard,"  broke  in  Andy.  "Remember  that  even 
slipping  down  on  a  banana  peel  is  a  good  deal 
of  a  skin  game." 

"To  bed  it  is,"  announced  Gif.  "Unless,  of 
course,  Andy  and  Fred  want  to  remain  up  to 
wash  the  dishes." 

"Nothing  doing,"  yawned  Fred.  "I  could 
go  to  sleep  sitting  in  this  chair.  I'll  wash  the 
dishes  to-morrow  morning  before  breakfast.'* 

It  was  decided  that  the  twins  should  oc- 
cupy one  of  the  rooms  with  a  double  bed. 
Gif  and  Spouter  took  the  other  double  bed, 
and  Fred  and  Jack  went  into  one  of  the  rooms 
containing  two  single  beds. 

"We'll  keep  the  fourth  room  for  possible 
visitors,"  announced  Gif.  "You  know,  Glutts 
and  Werner  may  call  on  us,"  he  added  quiz- 
zically. 

"Of  course  they'll  call — when  they  are  in- 
vited!" declared  Jack.  "Not  but  what  it's 
your  house,  Gif,"  he  added  quickly. 

"They'll  never  come  here  on  my  invitation," 
was  the  ready  response. 


144  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Their  prevous  experience  in  camping  out 
stood  the  six  cadets  in  good  stead,  and  they 
knew  exactly  how  to  leave  their  fire  so  that  it 
would  keep  burning  until  morning  without  do- 
ing any  damage.  Then,  one  after  another, 
they  speedily  shoved  off  to  bed  and  soon  all  of 
them  were  slumbering  peacefully  after  a  long 
and  arduous  day's  traveling. 

In  the  morning  Jack  was  the  first  to  arise 
and  he  was  speedily  followed  by  Gif  and 
Spouter. 

"Might  as  well  let  the  others  sleep  for  a 
while,"  said  the  oldest  Rover  boy.  "They 
were  pretty  well  tired  out,  Fred  and  Andy  es- 
pecially." 

"Sure,  let  'em  sleep  as  long  as  they  want  to. 
Our  time  is  our  own,  and  there  is  no  use  in 
hurrying.  Just  the  same,  I  bet  Fred  wakes  up 
pretty  quick  when  he  smells  boiling  coffee  and 
pancakes." 

Some  pancake  flour  had  been  brought  along, 
and  soon  the  appetizing  odor  of  the  cakes, 
along  with  the  odor  of  steaming  coffee,  filled 
the  Lodge.  Then  came  a  call  from  one  of  the 
bedrooms,  and,  sure  enough,  it  was  Fred 
speaking. 

"Hi  there !  don't  you  eat  all  those  good! 
things  up  before  I  get  there,"  he  called  out. 


THE  FIRST  HUNT  145 

"Say!  this  air  certainly  gives  a  fellow  an  ap- 
petite." 

By  the  time  breakfast  was  ready  all  of  the 
boys  were  dressed.  Jack  and  Spouter  had  gone 
outside  for  more  wood,  and  they  reported  that 
it  had  begun  to  snow  hard. 

"All  right,  let  it  snow,"  said  Randy.  "Now 
that  we  are  here,  what  do  we  care?" 

"Well,  we  don't  want  to  get  snowed  in,'* 
remarked  Spouter. 

"Oh,  I  don't  think  the  storm  will  be  as  bad 
as  that,"  returned  Gif.  "Just  the  same,  I'm 
glad  we  didn't  get  caught  last  night  in  a 
downfall.  AVe  might  have  had  worse  luck 
than  ever  in  getting  here." 

By  the  time  breakfast  was  finished  it  was 
snowing  heavily.  There  was  a  fairly  strong 
wind  blowing,  and  this  sent  the  fine  particles 
flying  in  all  directions.  When  they  went  out 
to  feed  the  horses  they  found  the  snow  al- 
ready an  inch  or  more  in  depth. 

"I  think  this  is  going  to  add  quite  a  little 
to  what  is  already  on  the  ground,"  said  Jack. 
"If  it  keeps  on  for  any  length  of  time  it  will 
make  hunting  rather  difficult." 

"Why  can't  we  go  out  and  do  some  hunting 
before  the  storm  gets  too  bad?"  questioned 
Fred.  Now  that  he  had  reached  the  Lodge 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

he  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  try  his  skill  with  a 
gun. 

"When  I  was  here  before  there  was  quite 
a  rabbit  run  on  the  other  side  of  the  cedars 
behind  this  bungalow,"  declared  Gif.  "It  isn't 
a  long  way  off.  We  could  easily  go  that  dis- 
tance even  through  the  snow." 

"There  wouldn't  be  any  chance  of  our  losing 
our  way?"  queried  Spouter. 

"Oh,  no.    It's  not  far  enough  off  for  that." 

"Then  let's  go  before  the  storm  gets  any 
worse,"  cried  Andy. 

"Yes,  but  how  about  the  dishes  to  be 
Crashed?"  asked  Gif. 

**Oh,  Gif,  can't  we  do  them  just  as  soon  as 
we  get  back?"  questioned  Fred. 

"Last  night's  dishes  are  still  standing  in 
the  kitchen,"  declared  Jack,  looking  somewhat 
sternly  at  his  cousins. 

"We'll  get  at  them  the  minute  we  get  back 
from  our  hunt  for  rabbits!"  exclaimed  Fred. 
^Won't  we,  Andy?" 

"That's  a  contract,"  declared  the  fun-loving 
Rover. 

"All  right  then,  see  that  you  keep  your 
word,"  answered  Jack.  "Remember,  Gif,  no 
more  grub  for  anybody  until  the  dishes  are 
washed." 


THE  FIRST  HUNT  147 

"It's  too  bad  we  didn't  bring  some  wooden 
dishes  with  us,"  remarked  Randy.  "Then, 
after  we  had  used  them,  we  could  put  'em  in 
the  fire." 

"Lazybones !"  called  out  Spouter.  "You  are 
as  bad  as  the  tramp  who  said  he  didn't  care 
to  eat  prunes  because  it  was  such  a  job  to  spit 
out  the  pits;"  and  at  this  there  was  a  general 
smile. 

A  little  later  the  boys  were  ready  for  their 
first  hunt.  They  had  discarded  their  over- 
coats for  a  number  of  hunting  jackets  of  which 
the  bungalow  boasted,  and  had  also  donned 
leggings  and  caps.  Each  looked  to  see  that 
his  weapon  was  in  first-class  order  and  that 
he  had  a  sufficient  supply  of  ammunition. 

"We'll  take  only  the  shotguns  along,"  said 
Gif.  "You  won't  find  any  big  game  in  this 
immediate  vicinity." 

Fixing  the  fire  so  that  it  would  keep  until 
they  returned,  they  locked  up  and  then  started 
away.  The  snow  was  still  coming  down  stead- 
ily, and  they  were  glad  when  they  reached 
the  shelter  of  the  woods. 

"You  don't  suppose  Jed  Wallop  will  come 
here  during  our  absence?"  questioned  Jack. 

"If  he  does  he'll  know  what  to  do,"  an- 
swered Gif,  "He  knows  where  the  key  to  the 


148  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

bungalow  is,  and  I  left  a  note  for  him  in  the 
stable,  stating  that  if  he  wanted  to  take  the 
team  away  he  could  do  so.  He  usually  keeps 
the  horses  up  at  his  place,  which  is  about  half 
a  mile  from  here." 

Forward  they  trudged  along  a  narrow  trail 
leading  through  the  woods.  Gif  was  at  the 
front,  with  Spouter  and  Jack  close  behind  and 
the  others  following.  Feeling  that  the  rabbits 
might  be  on  the  alert,  they  relapsed  into  sil- 
ence, making  practically  no  noise  as  they  ad- 
vanced. 

They  had  covered  a  distance  of  several  hun- 
dred feet  when  Jack,  happening  to  glance 
overhead,  saw  something  that  interested  him 
very  much.  A  flock  of  wild  ducks  was  circling 
about,  and  he  pointed  them  out  to  Gif. 

"I  have  often  seen  'em  around  here,"  whis- 
pered Gif.  "But  you'd  have  to  go  a  long  dis- 
tance to  get  'em  unless  you  could  shoot  'em 
on  the  wing.  They  never  settle  down  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  bungalow." 

"Some  day  I'm  going  to  take  a  crack  at 
them,"  said  Jack.  "That  is,  if  they  fly  low 
enough." 

Presently  Gif  slowed  his  pace  and  motioned 
for  the  others  to  do  likewise.  They  had  come 
out  to  where  there  was  a  small  clearing.  Here 


THE  FIRST  HUNT 

all  gazed  around  sharply,  trying  to  find  some 
trace  of  the  rabbit  run  Gif  had  mentioned. 

"I  see  one!"  exclaimed  Spouter  presently. 
"See  him?  Over  yonder,"  and  he  pointed 
with  his  hand. 

"Yes!  And  there  is  another!"  answered 
Jack. 

"I  see  four  or  five  of  them/'  put  in  Gif. 

"Oh,  say!  there  is  our  chance,"  ejaculated 
Fred  excitedly.  "Let's  get  busy  at  once,"  and 
he  made  as  if  to  raise  his  shotgun. 

"Don't  fire  yet,"  cautioned  Jack.  "We're  not 
close  enough." 

"Come  on!  I'll  show  you  a  place  where 
we'll  have  a  good  chance  to  get  at  those  rab- 
bits," said  Gif.  "Come,  follow  me." 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  CRY  FOR  HELP 

MAKING  as  little  noise  as  possible,  the  other 
lads  followed  Gif  back  into  the  woods  and 
then  along  a  snow-laden  trail  skirting  the 
clearing. 

Less  than  two  minutes'  walk  brought  the 
young  hunters  to  a  spot  where  were  located  a 
series  of  rough  rocks,  and  here  Gif  motioned 
for  his  companions  to  halt. 

"I  think  you  will  find  the  rabbits  in  the  hol- 
low just  on  the  other  side  of  these  rocks,"  he 
whispered.  "Now  get  you  guns  ready  before 
you  show  yourselves." 

Slowly  and  cautiously  they  mounted  the 
rocks  and  then  lay  down  in  the  snow  on  top. 
They  peered  into  the  hollow  below,  and  pres- 
ently made  out  the  forms  of  at  least  a  dozen 
rabbits  running  to  and  fro,  evidently  trying  to 
find  something  among  the  trees  and  bushes 
opposite  that  would  be  fit  to  eat. 

"We  might  as  well  fire  all  at  the  same  time,* 
150 


A  CRY  FOR  HELP  15 1 

said  Jack.  "Because  after  the  first  shot  those 
bunnies  will  do  their  best  to  get  to  cover." 

It  was  quickly  decided  that  some  of  the 
hunters  should  shoot  at  the  rabbits  directly 
ahead,  while  others  were  to  shoot  at  those  to 
the  right  or  to  the  left. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  Fred  and  Andy 
were  trembling  with  excitement,  and  Randy 
iwas  also  agitated.  The  others  were  quite 
calm,  or  else  they  did  not  allow  their  real  feel- 
ings to  show.  It  was  decided  that  Jack  should 
give  the  order  to  fire. 

"All  right,"  said  the  oldest  Rover  boy. 
"Now  take  aim,  and  when  I  say  three,  shoot." 

There  were  several  seconds  of  silence  dur- 
ing which  all  of  the  young  hunters  got  in 
readiness  to  shoot.  Then,  while  they  were 
still  aiming  their  weapons,  one  of  the  rabbits 
suddenly  stopped  running  around  and  sat  up- 
right, directly  facing  them,  with  his  long  ears 
pointed  skyward. 

"Quick !"  exclaimed  Jack  excitedly.  "They 
see  us !  One — two — three !  Fire !" 

The  six  shotguns  spoke  almost  as  one  piece, 
and  as  the  reports  echoed  across  the  clearing 
and  through  the  woods,  several  of  the  rabbits 
were  seen  to  leap  into  the  air  and  then  fall 
back  lifeless.  Several  others  were  seriously 


152  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

wounded,  and  these  were  speedily  put  out  oi 
their  misery  by  a  second  shot  from  Gif  and 
Spouter. 

"Hurrah!  Seven  rabbits!"  exclaimed  Fred, 
running  forward.  "That's  what  I  call  a  pretty 
good  start." 

"Come  on,  let  us  go  after  the  others !  Leave 
these  where  they  are,"  cried  Jack,  and  plunged 
into  the  wood  where  he  had  seen  several  of 
the  rabbits  seeking  refuge.  He  managed  to  bring 
down  one  of  them,  and  Randy  brought  down 
another.  The  others  got  away. 

"Nine  rabbits  is  by  no  means  a  bad  haul," 
was  Gif's  comment,  after  the  boys  had  brought 
the  dead  game  together. 

"Enough  for  a  splendid  potpie,  and  then 
some,"  came  from  Spouter. 

"Do  you  suppose  we  can  get  any  more?" 
exclaimed  Andy.  He  was  quite  certain  he  had 
brought  down  one  of  the  bunnies. 

"We  can  try,  Andy,"  answered  Gif.  "It 
isn't  late  yet,  and  the  snow  isn't  so  deep  but  what 
it  might  be  deeper." 

Having  divided  the  rabbits  between  them, 
so  that  each  lad  might  carry  some  of  the  game, 
they  moved  forward,  across  the  little  clearing, 
and  then  through  the  woods  for  the  best  part 
of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  During  that  time  they 


A  CRY  FOR  HELP  !53 

saw  several  squirrels,  but  were  unable  to  get 
a  shot  at  the  frisky  animals. 

"A  squirrel  is  as  quick  as  they  make  'em," 
declared  Gif.  "You've  got  to  act  like  light- 
ning to  catch  'em." 

By  this  time  it  was  snowing  so  heavily  that 
all  concluded  it  would  be  a  wise  move  to  re- 
turn to  Cedar  Lodge.  The  wind  was  rising, 
shaking  the  tops  of  the  trees  violently  and 
causing  a  strange  moaning  sound  through  the 
thickets  which  was  anything  but  pleasant. 

"I'd  hate  to  be  caught  out  here  all  alone 
and  in  the  darkness,"  remarked  Randy  to  Fred, 
as  they  trudged  along. 

"Would  give  a  fellow  the  creeps,  wouldn't 
it?"  was  the  reply. 

As  they  continued  on  their  way  they  kept 
their  eyes  wide  open  for  the  possible  appear- 
ance of  more  game.  But  no  animals  showed 
themselves,  nor  did  they  see  any  birds  circ- 
ling through  the  snow,  which  seemed  every 
moment  to  be  coming  down  thicker  than  ever. 

"If  this  snow  continues  and  the  wind  keeps 
on  rising,  we'll  have  a  regular  blizzard  before 
morning,"  announced  Gif. 

"Don't  say  a  word  about  the  wind,"  panted 
Andy,  who  had  dropped  a  few  paces  behind. 
"My  nose  and  my  ears  are  almost  frozen." 


154  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Well,  thank  goodness,  Andy,  we're  not 
very  far  from  the  Lodge.  You'll  soon  be  able 
to  warm  up." 

They  were  still  deep  in  the  woods  when 
from  a  distance  they  heard  a  peculiar  whistle 
twice  repeated. 

"That's  Jed  Wallop's  whistle,"  announced 
Gif.  "He  must  have  just  come  in." 

He  whistled  in  return,  and  presently  they 
came  out  at  a  point  where  the  cedars  fringed 
the  clearing  in  the  midst  of  which  was  located 
the  bungalow.  They  saw  Jed  Wallop  stand- 
ing outside  the  little  stable  and  waved  their 
hands  to  him,  and  he  waved  in  return. 

"Thought  you  might  have  gone  out  hunt- 
in',"  announced  Wallop,  when  they  came  up, 
"Had  some  luck,  too,  I  see." 

"Nine  rabbits,"  said  Fred,  a  bit  proudly. 

"Good  enough !  I  guess  that  means 
some  good,  old-fashioned  rabbit  stew  to- 
night," and  Jed  Wallop  grinned. 

He  had  not  seen  Gif's  note,  and  so  the  lads 
explained  the  situation,  to  which  the  man 
listened  with  much  concern. 

"Well,  by  gum!  what  do  you  know  about 
that?"  he  ejaculated.  "I  certain  did  mix  it 
when  I  give  you  them  directions.  I  might  o' 
told  you  about  turnin'  to  the  left  when  it  come 


A  CRY  FOR  HELP 

to  the  road  past  this  lodge.  You  see,  I  got  all 
twisted  up  in  my  mind  as  soon  as  I  heard 
about  my  cousin,  Tim  Doolittle,  bein'  hurt." 

"That's  just  the  way  I  figured  it,  Jed,"  an- 
swered Gif.  "However,  as  we  got  here  at  last 
it  doesn't  matter." 

"Coin*  to  have  a  pretty  good  fall  o'  snow, 
boys;"  and  Jed  Wallop  looked  anxiously  at  the 
sky. 

"Do  you  think  we  shall  be  snowed  in?" 
questioned  Randy. 

"Might  be — if  the  storm  keeps  up  long 
enough.  But  you  got  plenty  o'  provisions, 
ain't  you?" 

"Oh,  we've  got  enough  to  last  us  for  a  week 
or  ten  days,"  answered  Gif. 

"Then  I  guess  you'll  be  all  right.  But  say! 
maybe  you  fellers  would  like  me  to  stay  here 
with  you?"  continued  Jed  Wallop.  "Not  but 
wot  you're  big  enough  to  take  care  of  your- 
selves." 

"We'll  get  along  all  right,  Jed.  Don't 
worry,"  answered  Gif. 

"Then  I'll  be  a-takin'  the  team  and  gettin* 
over  to  my  own  place,"  announced  the  man. 
"And  I  won't  lose  no  time,  nuther.  I  don't 
want  to  pit  stuck  on  the  road  with  Mary  and 
[ohn.  7  ney  are  a  purty  good  team,  but  they 


156  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

are  apt  to  loose  heart  if  the  wind  gits  t<* 
blowin'  too  strong  agin  'em/' 

"How  is  your  cousin  getting  along?"  ques- 
tioned Jack  kindly. 

"Oh,  he's  a-doin'  tolerable.  I  took  him 
over  to  our  Uncle  Joe's,  you  know,  and  the 
women  folks  over  there  will  give  him  the  best 
o'  care." 

The  boys  assisted  Jed  Wallop  to  hook  up 
the  team  to  the  boxsled,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
more  the  man  was  off  with  a  crack  of  his  whip, 
which  sent  the  team  away  at  a  fairly  re- 
spectable pace. 

"Now,  have  a  good  time !"  he  called  back 
to  the  boys.  "And  don't  shoot  all  the  game  in 
the  State." 

"When  will  you  be  back?"  sang  out 
Spouter. 

"In  a  few  days.  If  you  want  me  before  that 
time  give  the  signal ;"  for  it  had  been  arranged 
that  when  the  boys  wanted  Jed  Wallop  to 
come  over  from  where  he  lived  they  were  to 
shoot  a  gun  two  times  twice  in  succession. 

"He  won't  have  any  sweet  job  of  it  getting 
to  his  place,"  announced  Fred. 

"Fortunately,  it  isn't  a  great  distance  off," 
answered  Gif.  "If  he  had  several  miles  to 
go,  I  doubt  if  he  would  be  able  to  make  it." 


Shutting  up  the  stable  and  loading  their 
arms  with  firewood  from  the  shed,  the  six 
cadets  made  their  way  into  the  Lodge.  When? 
they  opened  the  door  the  wind  rushed  in, 
causing  the  sparks  and  the  ashes  from  the 
smouldering  fire  to  fly  in  all  directions. 

"Shut  that  door!"  Gif  cried  quickly.  "My, 
how  that  wind  is  rising!" 

"Maybe  it'll  blow  the  bungalow  over,"  re- 
marked Randy. 

"Oh,  I  don't  believe  it  will  get  as  bad  as  all 
that,  Randy,"  said  Jack.  "This  looks  as  if  it 
was  a  pretty  substantial  building." 

"You're  right,"  came  from  Gif.  "Those 
logs  are  good  and  heavy,  and  they  were  put 
together  by  some  of  the  best  workmen  around 
here.  This  house  won't  go  down  unless  the 
woods  go  down  with  it.  But  I  am  mighty 
glad  we  are  under  shelter  where  we  can  take 
it  comfortable." 

"Do  you  know  what  I  think?"  said  Fred. 
"I  think  we  ought  to  bring  in  more  of  that 
firewood.  There  is  no  telling  if  we'll  be  able 
to  get  any  of  it  by  morning  if  this  snow  keeps 
coming  down." 

"A  good  idea,  Fred/'  said  Jack.  "Let  us 
go  out  at  once  and  pile  all  the  wood  we  can  ia 
the  entryway  beside  the  kitchen." 


I58  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Leaving  Gif  to  stir  up  the  fire  so  that  the 
Lodge  might  get  warm  once  more,  the  others 
hurried  out  to  the  woodshed.  They  made 
four  trips  from  that  place  to  the  entryway  be- 
side the  kitchen,  each  time  bringing  in  all 
the  logs  they  could  carry. 

"There !  that  wood  ought  to  last  us  for  two 
or  three  days,"  declared  Jack,  when  the  task 
was  done. 

"Now  I  know  what  I'm  going  to  do,"  said 
Fred,  as  they  re-entered  the  main  building. 

"What's  that?"  queried  Spouter. 

"I'm  going  to  get  at  those  dishes." 

"So  are  we!"  declared  Andy  and  Randy  in 
a  breath. 

Water  was  heated,  and  it  did  not  take  long 
to  dispose  of  the  dirty  dishes.  While  the  three 
boys  were  doing  this,  the  others  cleaned  up 
the  living  room  of  the  bungalow,  and  also 
straightened  out  their  beds.  From  time  to 
time  all  gazed  out  of  the  small-paned  windows, 
to  see  that  the  snow  was  coming  down  as 
thickly  as  ever. 

"We're  in  for  it,  and  no  mistake,"  said  Gif 
finally.  "I  don't  think  we'll  be  able  to  do 
much  hunting  for  a  day  or  two." 

"Well,  that  will  give  us  a  good  chance  to 
rest,"  declared  Jack.  "I  don't  know  but  what 


A  CRY  FOR  HELP  159 

I  would  just  as  lief  take  a  nap  after  lunch. 
That  tramp  in  the  wind  after  the  rabbits  made 
me  sleepy/' 

All  were  rather  tired,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  lunch  was  an  informal  affair,  the  boys 
warming  up  and  opening  a  large  can  of  pork 
and  beans  and  making  themselves  a  large  pot 
of  steaming  chocolate. 

"We'll  have  dinner  to-night,"  said  Gif,  and 
to  this  the  others  agreed. 

Then  they  cleared  the  dishes  away  and  took 
it  easy,  some  resting  in  front  of  the  fire  and 
others  on  the  beds  in  the  rooms. 

"If  it  gets  much  colder  we'll  have  to  pull 
some  of  those  beds  out  into  the  living  room 
and  close  the  doors  to  the  bedrooms,"  an- 
nounced Gif.  "I  remember  we  did  that  one 
time  when  I  was  up  here." 

By  five  o'clock  the  boys  felt  rested,  and 
then  began  preparations  for  a  regular  dinner. 
Several  of  the  rabbits  were  cleaned  and 
cooked,  and  they  also  boiled  some  potatoes 
and  onions.  Then  Gif  and  Jack  prepared  a 
pan  of  biscuits  and  a  pot  of  tea. 

"Some  day  I'm  going  to  take  a  few  hours 
off  and  make  some  pies  and  cakes,"  announced 
Randy.  He  had  always  had  a  great  liking  for 
desserts. 


160  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Yes,  and  don't  forget  we're  going  to  make 
some  candy,  too,"  added  his  twin. 

In  the  evening  the  boys  read  some  maga- 
zines they  had  brought  along,  and  Jack  and 
Spouter  played  checkers.  Before  retiring, 
they  looked  out  of  the  windows,  to  find  that 
it  was  snowing  and  blowing  just  as  furiously 
as  ever. 

"It's  going  to  be  a  wild  night,  believe  me," 
announced  Spouter.  "I  don't  believe  there 
will  be  many  people  traveling  around  in  this 
vicinity." 

They  retired  as  they  had  done  the  night 
before,  and  soon,  despite  the  whistling  of  the 
wind,  all  of  the  lads  were  sound  asleep. 

Suddenly  Jack  awakened  with  a  start.  How 
long  he  had  been  asleep  he  did  not  know.  He 
sat  up  quickly,  for  he  realized  that  some  sound 
from  without  had  awakened  him. 

"Help!  Help!"  came  from  outside  the 
bungalow.  "Help!  Let  us  in!  We're  freez- 
ing to  death!" 


CHAPTER  XVI 

UNDESIRABLE  VISITORS 

"WAKE  up,  Fred!  There  is  somebody  at  the 
door  trying  to  get  in!"  called  out  Jack,  as  the 
cry  from  outside  was  repeated. 

"What's  that?  AVhat's  the  matter?"  came 
sleepily  from  the  other  Rover  boy. 

From  outside  came  a  feeble  kicking  and 
pounding  on  the  main  door  to  the  Lodge. 
Two  boys  were  calling  piteously  for  assist- 
ance. 

"Get  up,  everybody!"  sang  out  Jack,  as  he 
jumped  up  and  stuck  his  feet  into  a  pair  of 
slippers  which  were  handy. 

His  call  and  the  noise  from  outside  aroused 
Gif  and  Spouter,  as  well  as  Fred,  and  soon  the 
four  cadets  were  hurrying  into  the  living 
room.  They  wore  nothing  but  their  pajamas, 
and  slippers,  but  now  each  slipped  hastily  into 
his  overcoat. 

"Who  is  it?"  demanded  Gif,  for  he  had  no 
desire  to  have  the  Lodge  overrun  by  a  crowd 

161 


162  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

of  noisy  and  possibly  half-drunken  lumber- 
jacks. 

"It's  us— Bill  Glutts  and  Gabe  Werner," 
was  the  faint  reply.  "Please  leave  us  in  be- 
fore we  are  frozen  to  death." 

"Werner  and  Glutts!"  ejaculated  Fred. 
And  now  the  continued  noise  brought  Andy 
and  Randy  on  the  scene. 

"What  can  they  be  doing  out  here  this 
time  of  night?"  demanded  Fred. 

"Say,  let  us  in,  won't  you?"  came  pleadingly 
in  Gabe  Werner's  voice.  "You  don't  want  to 
let  us  freeze  to  death,  do  you?" 

"What  brought  you  here  this  time  oi 
mght?"  demanded  Jack. 

"We're  on  our  way  to  Tony  Duval's  place," 
answered  Gabe  Werner.  "But  the  storm  is  so 
fierce  we  couldn't  get  any  further.  Our  horse 
is  completely  winded." 

"You  are  sure  you  are  alone?"  demanded 
Gif. 

"Yes,  yes!  Please  let  us  in.  My  nose  and 
ears  are  frozen." 

"And  I  don't  know  whether  I've  got  any 
feet  left  or  not,"  broke  in  Bill  Glutts  piteously. 

The  main  door  to  the  bungalow  had  not 
only  been  locked,  but  also  barred.  Now  the 
door  was  unfastened,  and  Gif,  with  the  others 


W&DESIRABLE  VISITORS  163 

beside  him,  allowed  the  portal  to  swing1  open 
a  few  inches. 

A  terrible  scene  met  their  eyes.  The  snow 
was  piled  up  against  the  door  to  the  depth  of 
two  feet  or  more,  and  the  wind  was  swirling 
the  white  particles  in  all  directions,  so  that 
the  snow  came  into  the  living  room  in  a  per- 
fect clotui  In  this  mass  of  white  stood  Bill 
Glutts  and  Gabe  Werner,  their  heavy  clothing 
covered  with  a  ghost-like  mantle.  Behind 
them  was  a  one-seated  sleigh  drawn  by  a 
horse  that  looked  ready  to  drop  from  exhaus-. 
tion. 

"Come  in,"  said  Gif  briefly. 

No  such  invitation  was  needed,  for  as  soon 
as  the  door  was  opened  wide  enough  Bill 
Glutts  staggered  into  the  living  room,  fol- 
lowed by  his  crony.  A  swirl  of  snow  followed 
them,  and  continued  until  Gif  and  Jack  man- 
aged to  close  the  door  once  more. 

"Gee !  I'm  all  in,"  gasped  Glutts,  as  he  sank 
'down  on  a  chair  close  to  the  smouldering 
fire. 

"I  thought  we'd  drop  before  we  got  you 
fellows  up,"  added  Werner.  "You  sure  are 
some  sleepers,"  he  grumbled,  as  he  too  sank 
down  on  a  seat. 

Ordinarily    the    Rovers    and    their    chums 


164  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

would  have  treated  these  two  bullies  with 
scant  courtesy.  But  now  Glutts  and  Werner 
appeared  to  be  suffering  so  much  from  the 
cold  that  they  had  not  the  heart  to  find  fault 
with  their  enemies. 

"I'll  stir  up  that  fire  a  little,"  said  Gif,  and 
did  so  while  Andy  and  Randy  went  out  into 
the  entryway,  to  bring  in  some  additional 
sticks  of  wood. 

"We  can't  leave  that  horse  out  there,"  re- 
marked Jack.  "He'll  be  frozen  to  death." 

"Wall,  I'm  not  going  out  to  take  care  of 
him,"  declared  Gabe  Werner  quickly.  "I 
wouldn't  go  out  in  that  storm  again  for  a 
thousand  dollars." 

"Neither  would  I,"  growled  Glutts.  "The 
nag  can  look  after  himself." 

"That's  a  shameful  way  to  treat  any  animal, 
Glutts,"  declared  Gif.  "But  as  you  fellows 
seem  to  be  so  exhausted,  we'll  look  after  him," 
he  continued. 

"If  you  go  out,  Gif,  I'll  go  with  you,"  said 
Jack  quickly.  "But  we  had  better  slip  some 
of  our  clothing  right  over  our  pajamas.  I'll, 
bet  it's  as  cold  as  Greenland's  icy  mountains 
around  that  stable." 

While  the  newcomers  continued  to  make 
themselves  comfortable  before  the  fire,  and 


UNDESIRABLE  VISITORS  165 

Spouter  and  Fred  prepared  a  pot  of  hot  tea 
for  them  to  drink,  Gif  and  Jack  hurried  into 
their  clothing  and  then  went  outside. 

The  blast  that  struck  them  as  they  hurried 
toward  the  exhausted  horse  was  terrific,  and 
for  the  moment  they  thought  they  would  have 
to  turn  back  and  abandon  the  animal.  But 
then  they  took  another  grip  on  themselves, 
and  finally  managed  to  turn  the  horse  in  the 
direction  of  the  stable. 

They  saw  that  the  sleigh  was  filled  with 
provisions  amj  other  things,  and  so  managed 
to  haul  it  under  the  shed  where  it  would  be 
partly  protected.  Then  they  placed  the  horse 
in  the  stable,  gave  him  a  drink,  and  likewise 
left  some  hay  for  him  to  chew  on. 

"We  may  not  be  able  to  get  here  in  the 
morning,"  said  'Gif;  "so  we'll  leave  him  some 
supper  and  some  breakfast  at  the  same  time." 

"I  don't  much  like  the  idea  of  Glutts  and 
Werner  loading  down  on  us  in  this  fashion," 
remarked  Jack,  as  the  pair  prepared  to  go 
back  to  the  Lodge. 

"Like  it!"  exclaimed  his  chum.  "I  should 
say  not !  But  what  are  we  going  to  do  about 
it,  Jack?" 

"Oh,  we'll  have  to  make  the  best  of  it." 

"If  this  storm  keeps  up  we  may  have  those 


166  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

fellows  on  our  hands  for  some  days/* 
"Well,  if  they  stay  here  that  long  they  can 
pay  their  own  way,"  declared  Jack.  "They 
have  some  provisions  in  that  sleigh,  and  there 
is  no  reason  why  we  should  feed  them  for 
nothing.  If  we  divide  up  our  stuff  they  can 
divide  up  theirs." 

"It  wouldn't  be  any  more  than  fair.'' 
"Where  is  this  Tony  Duval's  place  they 
mentioned?"  continued  the  oldest  Rover  boy. 
"It's  about  two  miles  from  here,  off  to  the 
eastward — in  fact,  the  road  on  which  this 
Lodge  is  located  ends  at  Duval's  place.  He 
is  a  French-Canadian,  and  he  hasn't  a  very 
good  reputation  in  these  parts.  Some  of  the 
old  hunters  used  to  think  Tony  was  a  good 
deal  of  a  thief — that  he  would  go  around  in 
the  night  or  early  morning  and  empty  their 
traps.  He  came  from  down  east." 

"What  do  you  suppose  Werner  and  Glutts 
are  going  to  do  there?" 

"Of  late  years  Duval  has  made  a  specialty 
of  hiring  out  his  place  to  hunters.  There  are 
two  or  three  shacks  on  his  land,  and  he  lets 
the  various  crowds  have  those  buildings,  and 
then,  if  the  hunters  want  it,  he  cooks  for  them, 
for  he  is  said  to  be  quite  a  handy  man  with  a 
coffeepot  and  a  frying  pan.  More  than  likely, 


UNDESIRABLE  VISITORS  16; 

from  what  you  heard  at  the  moving  picture 
theater,  Gabe  Werner  has  a  chance  to  use 
one  of  those  shacks  and  has  got  Glutts  to  go 
with  him." 

"I  wonder  why  Codfish  isn't  with  them — 
he  was  at  that  restaurant  in  Timminsport." 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  except  that  Cod- 
fish may  have  got  cold  feet  when  it  came  to 
traveling  up  this  way  in  such  a  snowstorm. 
You  know  there  is  nothing  brave  about  that 
little  sneak."  And  in  this  surmise  Gif  was 
correct.  Stowell  had  found  a  boarding  place 
in  the  town  and  had  said  he  would  remain 
there  until  the  storm  cleared  away  and  the 
others  returned  to  get  him. 

In  the  meantime  Glutts  and  Werner  were 
seated  at  the  living-room  table  drinking  the 
hot  tea  which  had  been  prepared  and  eating 
some  doughnuts  which  Fred  and  Andy  had 
offered.  The  bullies  had  become  thawed  out, 
and  theif  usual  aggressiveness  was  beginning 
to  assert  itself. 

"Of-  course  we  could  have  kept  on  until  we 
got  up  to  Tony's  place ;  but  what  was  the  use 
on  such  a  wild  night  as  this  when  we  knew 
this  place  was  handy?"  remarked  Werner. 

"I'm  afraid  you're  going  to  be  snowed  in 
with  us,"  said  Spouter. 


168  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Huh!  I  don't  know  as  that  will  be  very 
pleasant,"  grumbled  Glutts.  "Have  you  fel- 
lows got  enough  for  all  hands  to  eat?"  he  de- 
manded eagerly. 

"We've  got  some  provisions,"  answered 
Fred  cautiously.  "We  shot  nine  rabbits  to- 
day," he  added  proudly. 

"Nine  rabbits!"  exclaimed  Werner.  "How 
did  you  do  it?" 

"They  must  have  driven  the  poor  rabbits 
together  in  a  bunch  and  then  slaughtered 
them,"  was  Glutts'  comment. 

"We  did  not!"  cried  Fred. 

"I'm  sure  we'll  get  all  the  rabbits  we  want 
when  we  reach  Tony  Duval's  place,"  con- 
tinued Werner  boastfully.  "I  believe  hunting 
up  there  is  much  better  than  it  is  around 
here." 

"And  they  tell  me  Tony  is  one  of  the  best 
guides  in  these  parts,"  added  Glutts.  "We  ex- 
pect to  get  a  deer  or  two  and  a  whole  lot  of 
other  game." 

"Say,  have  you  fellows  got  a  place  where  we 
can  sleep?"  questioned  the  other  bully,  look- 
ing around  the  living  room. 

"There  is  a  bedroom  here  that  is  not  being 
used,"  answered  Spouter.  "But  you'll  have  to 
ask  Gif  about  that.  This  bungalow,  you 


UNDESIRABLE  VISITORS  169 

know,  belongs  to  Mr.  Garrison  and  his 
brother." 

When  Gif  and  Jack  returned  the  situation 
was  explained  to  them,  and  Gif  said  that  for 
the  balance  of  the  night  the  two  newcomers 
could  occupy  the  bedroom  which  was  not  in 
use. 

"And  then  we'll  see  what  can  be  done  to-» 
morrow  morning,"  he  added. 

"Of  course  we'll  pay  for  our  accommoda- 
tions," said  Werner,  in  his  most  lordly  man- 
ner. 

"We  don't  want  any  pay,  Werner,"  declared 
Gif.  "But  if  you  have  to  stay  here  very  long 
you'll  have  to  divide  your  stores  with  us.  It  is 
quite  a  task  to  get  new  stuff  all  the  way  from 
Timminsport ;  so  if  you've  got  anything  in  the 
sleigh  outside  it  won't  be  any  more  than  fair 
for  you  to  divide  with  us." 

"What  did  you  do  with  the  sleigh  and  the 
stuff?" 

"We  placed  it  under  the  shed  next  to  the 
stable  and  covered  your  stuff  with  a  horse 
blanket.  The  snow  is  sifting  in  there  some, 
but  I  don't  think  anything  will  get  hurt;  un- 
less, of  course,  you've  got  some  stuff  that 
might  freeze." 

"Let    it    freeze,"    grumbled    Glutts.      "I'm 


170  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

not  going  out  again,  now  I'm  comfortable 
here." 

As  there  was  no  love  lost  between  the  new- 
comers and  our  friends,  the  conversation 
languished  after  this.  Gif  showed  Glutts  and 
Werner  where  they  might  sleep  in  the  bed- 
room which  had  not  been  occupied,  and  gave 
them  the  necessary  bedding  and  some  extra 
blankets.  Then  the  pair  shoved  off  without 
even  saying  good-night  and  closed  the  door 
behind  them. 

"Real  loving  and  thankful — I  don't  think," 
whispered  Randy. 

"I  don't  see  why  those  fellows  were  wished 
on  us,"  growled  his  twin.  "I'd  just  as  lief  have 
a  skunk  in  the  place  as  to  have  either  of  that 
pair." 

"Well,  we  couldn't  leave  them  out  in  the 
storm  to  perish,"  answered  Jack,  in  a  low 
tone ;  "so  we'll  have  to  make  the  best  of  it." 

"Just  the  same,"  whispered  Fred,  "I'm  go- 
ing to  keep  my  eyes  and  ears  wide  open  while 
they  are  here." 


NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  IN  CAMP 

WHEN  Randy  and  Andy  retired  it  was  a  long 
while  before  the  merry  twins  could  get  to  sleep 
again. 

"We  ought  to  play  some  good  joke  on 
them,"  was  the  way  Andy  expressed  it. 
"Something  they  would  remember." 

"I'd  do  it  in  a  minute,  Andy,  if  it  wasn't 
that  they  are  so  worn  out,"  responded  his 
twin.  "But  I  don't  think  Jack  and  Fred  would 
like  it  at  all  if  we  disturbed  'em.  And,  be- 
sides, you  must  remember  that  while  we  are 
here  we're  Gif's  guests." 

Gif  and  Jack  were  the  first  to  get  up  in  the 
morning,  and  they  had  the  fire  revived  and 
breakfast  underway  before  any  of  the  others 
showed  themselves. 

"Where  are  Glutts  and  Werner?"  ques- 
tioned Spouter,  when  he  appeared. 

"They  haven't  showed  themselves  yet, 
Spouter,"  answered  Jack.  "Might  as  well  let 

171 


172  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

them  sleep  as  long  as  they  want  to.  They 
can't  leave  here  in  such  a  storm  as  this." 

The  snow  was  still  coming  down  and  the 
wind  was  blowing  almost  as  fiercely  as  it  had 
during  the  early  part  of  the  night.  Gazing 
through  the  windows,  the  cadets  saw  that  all 
of  the  cedars  were  bent  down  with  the  weight 
of  the  fine  white  crystals.  The  snow  had 
swept  up  along  one  side  of  the  little  barn  until 
there  was  an  unbroken  line  reaching  up  to 
the  very  top. 

"Well,  I  never!"  ejaculated  Jack,  turning 
around  suddenly  to  his  chums.  "Happy  New 
Year,  everybody!" 

"Happy  New  Year !"  came  from  the  others, 
including  Fred  and  the  twins,  who  had  just 
got  up. 

"Gosh !  I  forgot  all  about  it's  being  New 
Year's,"  exclaimed  Fred. 

"This  looks  like  a  real  New  Year's  Day, 
and  no  mistake,"  remarked  Randy.  "Look 
outside !  Isn't  it  just  like  a  picture  on  a  New; 
Year's  card?" 

"It  is  assuredly  a  spectacle  to  fill  one  witK 
awe  and  reverence,"  came  from  Spouter. 
"Just  gaze  upon  that  magnificent  stretch  of 
snowy  mantle  and  those  tall  cedars  bending 
low  before  the  wintry  blasts!  Can  you 


imagine  what  this  must  be  in  the  solemn  depth 
of  the  mighty  forest,  where  not  a  footfall  is 
heard  nor  a — " 

"Jack  rabbit  can  get  as  much  as  a  turnip 
to  eat?"  finished  Randy  gayly.  "Spouter,  it 
you  are  going  to  orate,  why  don't  you  stand 
on  the  table  when  you  turn  on  the  spigot?" 

"Let  us  have  a  regular  New  Year's  dinner !" 
cried  Gif,  "and  then  Spouter  can  do  the 
speech-making — " 

"While  we  do  the  eating/'  finished  Randy. 
"Say,  Spout,  how  about  it?" 

"Nothing  doing,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 
"I  want  my  share  of  the  eats  every  time." 

"We'll  make  a  regular  rabbit  potpie  to  take 
the  place  of  turkey,"  announced  Gif. 

"And  for  dessert,  how  about  that  canned 
plum  pudding  we  bought  along?"  queried 
Fred. 

"Great  thought,  Fred!"  answered  Randy. 
"And  we  can  have  some  of  those  nuts,  too. 
And  to-night  we'll  try  our  hand  at  some  candy 
making." 

"One  thing  you  fellows  are  forgetting,"  re- 
marked Gif.  "And  that  is  that  we  have  Wer- 
ner and  Glutts  with  us.  They'll  certainly 
want  their  share  of  the  good  things." 

"What!      Plum    pudding   and   all?"    ques- 


174  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

tioned  Fred,  with  a  gloomy  look  settling  over 
his  face. 

"We  can't  deny  them  anything  that  we  have 
ourselves,  Fred,"  replied  Jack. 

"I  don't  think  Glutts  or  Werner  deserve  it !" 
exclaimed  Randy.  "I  think  as  soon  as  this 
storm  clears  away  they  ought  to  be  sent  about 
their  business.  It  isn't  so  very  far  to  that 
Tony  Duval's  place,  and  with  their  horse  and 
sleigh  they  ought  to  be  able  to  make  it  some- 
how." 

Randy  had  scarcely  finished  speaking  when 
the  door  to  the  bedroom  the  two  bullies  oc- 
cupied was  flung  open  and  Werner  strode 
into  the  living  room. 

"Fine  way  you  have  of  talking  about  us, 
Rover!"  he  said,  with  a  sour  look  on  his  face. 
"We  didn't  come  here  because  we  wanted  to. 
[We  came  because  it  was  necessary." 

"And  we  said  we  would  pay  for  whatever 
we  had  to  eat  or  drink,"  added  Glutts,  who 
had  followed  his  crony. 

"I  told  you  before  that  you  wouldn't  have 
to  pay  a  cent,"  broke  in  Gif.  "Just  the  same, 
Glutts,  we  might  as  well  come  to  an  under- 
standing. You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  there 
is  no  love  lost  between  you  fellows  and  our 
crowd.  You  are  welcome  to  stay  here  and 


NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  IN  CAMP  175 

have  your  dinner,  and  if  you  think  you  can't 
get  out  to-day  you  can  stay  here  for  supper 
and  sleep  here  again  to-night.  By  that  time  I 
think  the  storm  will  have  cleared  away,  and 
you  will  be  able  to  get  over  to  Tony's  place 
without  trouble." 

"You  can  take  it  from  me,  we  won't  stay 
here  an  hour  longer  than  we  have  to,"  de- 
clared Werner.  And  then  he  turned  back  into 
the  bedroom  to  finish  his  dressing,  closing  the 
door  behind  him. 

The  presence  of  the  two  bullies  put  a  good 
deal  of  a  damper  on  our  friends,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  breakfast  was  rather  a  silent 
one.  Then  Gif  suggested  that  Glutts  and 
Werner  go  out  and  look  after  their  horse,  and 
this  they  agreed  to  do. 

"If  you  won't  take  any  pay  we'll  stand  for 
our  share  of  the  grub,"  announced  Werner 
just  before  he  went  out.  "We've  got  some 
goods  in  the  sleigh,  as  you  know.  What  shall 
I  bring  in?" 

"Bring  in  whatever  you  think  is  fair,"  said 
Gif,  after  a  few  whispered  words  to  Jack  and 
Spouter. 

The  two  bullies  were  gone  the  best  part  of 
an  hour,  and  during  that  time  the  Rovers  and 
their  chums  cleaned  several  of  the  rabbits  and 


176  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

also  got  ready  some  potatoes  and  turnips  for 
dinner. 

"That  will  give  us  quite  a  meal,  along  with 
the  dried  lima  beans  that  I  put  to  soak  last 
night,"  said  Gif.  "Of  course,  we'll  have  the 
plum  pudding,  well  steamed,  as  Fred  suggested." 

"And  we'll  make  a  pan  of  biscuits,  too," 
added  Spouter.  "Gee!  by  the  time  we  get 
through  up  here,  fellows,  we'll  be  able  to  get 
jobs  as  chefs  in  some  of  the  first-class  New  York 
hotels." 

When  Glutts  and  Werner  returned  they  car- 
ried two  packages  which  they  threw  on  the 
living-room  table. 

"There  are  some  dried  apricots  and  a  pack- 
age of  rice,"  said  Werner.  "They  ought  to 
help  out  for  a  New  Year's  dinner." 

"Very  well,  we'll  cook  what  we  need  for  the' 
meal,  Werner,"  said  Gif  briefly,  "and  the  rest 
you  can  take  with  you." 

Gif  and  Spouter  made  a  small  rice  pudding, 
and  also  stewed  some  of  the  apricots.  All 
told,  the  New  Year's  dinner  proved  to  be 
quite  a  bountiful  affair,  and  after  all  of  the 
lads  had  eaten  their  fill,  it  must  be  confessed 
that  everybody  felt  in  better  humor.  The 
plum  pudding  especially  came  in  for  a  large 
share  ©f  their  attention,  as  well  as  did  the 


NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  IN  CAMP  177 

muts  and  the  small  amount  of  raisins  which 
followed. 

"I  think  we'll  go  and  take  a  nap/'  an- 
nounced Werner  presently.  "I  didn't  get  very 
much  sleep  last  night." 

"And  I'll  do  the  same,"  added  Glutts. 

"What  about  washing  those  dishes?"  re- 
marked Fred,  with  a  significant  look  at  the 
two  bullies. 

"That's  right,  Glutts  and  Werner!"  cried 
Jack.  "You  ought  to  be  willing  to  do  your 
share  of  the  dish-washing." 

"Me  wash  dishes!"  roared  Bill  Glutts.  "I 
never  did  anything  like  that  in  my  life !" 

"You  washed  your  own  dishes  at  the  en- 
campment," answered  Spouter  sharply. 

"Oh,  well,  that  was  different." 

"Oh,  don't  gas,"  grumbled  Werner.  'We'll 
wash  our  own  dishes,  anyway,"  and  he  went 
to  work  without  another  word,  although  with 
very  bad  grace,  and  presently  Glutts  followed 
him. 

Gif  and  the  other  boys  also  took  hold,  so 
the  dish-washing  and  the  pot  cleaning  did  not  j 
take  very  long. 

The  majority  of  the  boys  felt  sleepy,  so 
the  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  taking  it  easy 
or  in  reading.  Then,  toward  night,  they  had 


178  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUMT 

a  light  supper,  and  Fred  and  the  twins  started 
to  make  some  home-made  candy. 

By  this  time  the  storm  had  cleared  away; 
no  more  snow  was  coming  down  and  the  wind 
had  also  ceased.  Overhead  the  stars  glittered 
like  so  many  diamonds. 

"It  will  be  a  great  day  to-morrow,"  an- 
nounced Gif. 

"Perhaps  we  can  get  out  and  get  on  the 
track  of  a  deer!"  cried  Fred. 

"Say,  Fred,  you  must  think  the  deer  in  this 
vicinity  are  standing  around  just  waiting  to 
be  shot,"  came  from  Jack,  with  a  smile. 

"I  don't  care,  Jack.  I'm  going  to  get  a 
crack  at  something  worth  while  before  I  go 
home,"  announced  the  youngest  Rover. 

Declining  to  partake  of  the  taffy  and  the  nut 
candy  the  twins  and  Fred  had  made,  Glutts 
and  Werner  retired  early. 

"We'll  be  going  in  the  morning  if  the 
storm  will  permit  it,"  said  Werner  to  Gif. 
And  then  he  added  curtly:  "Much  obliged 
for  taking  us  in." 

"Don't  mention  it,  Werner,"  answered  Gif, 
just  as  briefly. 

"Remember,  we'll  pay  you  if  you'll  tell  us 
how  much  it  is,"  added  Glutts. 

"You  can't  pay  me  anything,  Glutts." 


NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  IN  CAMP  179 

"Just  as  you  say." 

Then  the  door  to  the  bedroom  was  closed 
as  before,  and  Gif  and  his  chums  were  left  to 
themselves. 

"Some  New  Year's  Day,  believe  me,"  was 
Fred's  whispered  comment.  "The  presence 
of  those  fellows  is  about  as  cheering  as  a 
funeral." 

Randy  and  Andy  had  their  heads  close  to- 
gether and  were  whispering.  Presently 
Randy  got  up  and  stretched  himself. 

"Now  that  it  has  stopped  snowing  I  am 
going  to  go  out  and  get  a  little  fresh  air  in  my 
lungs,"  he  remarked. 

"And  I'm  going  along,"  responded  his  twin 
quickly. 

"So  am  I,"  broke  in  Fred. 

"And  that  means  we  can  wash  the  dishes," 
said  Jack.  "All  right,  there  are  only  a  hand- 
ful anyway.  Go  ahead,  only  don't  walk  too 
far  and  get  lost." 

The  three  lads  were  soon  outside,  ploughing 
around  through  the  deep  snow.  Then  Randy 
caught  Fred  by  the  arm. 

"Come  on  down  to  the  stable,"  he  said. 
"Andy  and  I  have  a  little  something  up  our 
sleeves." 

"Just  what  I  thought,"  chuckled  Fred,    "I 


'l8o  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

bet  you're  planning  to  play  some  trick  on 
Glutts  and  Werner." 

"Can  you  blame  us?"  demanded  Andy. 

"Certainly  not.  I'm  with  you.  What  do 
you  propose  to  do?" 

"We  want  to  find  out  first  what  those  fel- 
lows are  carrying  in  the  way  of  provisions.  Quite 
something,  I  imagine." 

Reaching  the  stable,  the  three  Rovers 
passed  around  one  corner  to  where  was 
located  the  shed.  Here  they  found  the  sleigh 
and  its  contents  just  as  it  had  been  left  by 
Glutts  and  Werner  when  they  had  procured 
the  rice  and  the  apricots.  Randy  carried  a 
flashlight,  and  this  was  turned  on  so  they 
might  see  what  was  stored  there. 

"A  pretty  complete  lot  of  stuff,"  was 
Randy's  comment,  after  they  had  looked  over 
the  various  bundles  and  packages,  each  one  of 
which  was  marked. 

"Here  is  a  bag  of  sugar  and  another  bag  of 
salt,"  announced  Andy.  "I  think  the  flavor  of 
each  will  be  vastly  improved  by  mixing  them 
up  a  bit,"  and  he  grinned. 

"And  here's  a  bottle  of  vinegar  and  two 
bottles  of  catsup  and  maple  syrup,"  came 
from  Randy.  "I  think  a  little  mixing  up  here 
will  help  matters  also." 


NEW  YEAR'S  DAY  IN  CAMP  ifci 

"Say,  don't  go  too  far!"  cried  Fred  ia 
alarm. 

"Too  far!"  exclaimed  Randy.  "You 
couldn't  go  too  far  with  Gabe  Werner  and 
Bill  Glutts!  Just  remember  what  they  did 
to  us  at  Colby  Hall  and  at  the  encampment. 
Both  of  those  fellows  are  nothing  but  rascals. 
They  didn't  deserve  to  be  taken  in." 

After  that  Fred  joined  the  twins  in  "doctor- 
ing up  the  provisions,"  as  Andy  expressed  it. 
The  three  had  quite  some  fun  doing  this, 
and  all  returned  to  the  bungalow  grinning 
broadly. 

"There  will  be  something  doing  when  they 
start  to  use  those  stores,"  chuckled  Andy. 
"My,  won't  Glutts  and  Werner  be  mad !" 

"They  won't  know  we  did  it,"  returned  his 
twin. 

"They  won't  know  it,"  answered  Fred,  "but 
they'll  take  it  for  granted,  nevertheless.  I'll 
tell  you,  fellows,  I  don't  know  about  this,"  he 
added  dubiously. 

"Oh,  don't  worry,"  answered  Andy  gayly. 
"Gabe  Werner  and  Bill  Glutts  deserve  all  that 
they  are  getting,  and  more  too." 


CHAPTER  XVIII  , 

FISHING  THROUGH   THE  ICE 

WITH  nothing  of  importance  to  do  and  nobody 
to  awaken  them,  the  Rover  boys  and  their 
chums  slept  late  the  next  morning.  Gif  was 
the  first  to  get  up,  and,  seeing  that  the  others 
were  still  asleep,  he  made  as  little  noise  as 
possible  when  he  went  out  into  the  living- 
room  to  stir  up  the  smouldering  fire  and  place 
upon  it  a  couple  of  extra  logs. 

"Hello,  Gif!  Up  already?'*  came  from 
Spouter,  when  the  other  cadet  came  back  to 
finish  his  dressing.  "What  sort  of  a  day  is 
it?" 

"Clear  as  crystal,  Spouter.  It  couldn't  be 
better." 

"Then  perhaps  we'll  get  a  chance  to  go 
out  hunting." 

"Perhaps."  Gif  looked  doubtful  for  a 
moment.  "I  don't  know  that  I  care  to  leave 
this  place  until  Glutts  and  Werner  have  gone." 

"I  don't  blame  you,  Gif.  It  would  be  just 
182 


FISHING  THROUGH  THE  ICE  183 

like  those  mean  chaps  to  try  to  do  some  dam- 
age before  they  left.  They  are  not  the  kind  to 
appreciate  in  the  least  what  we  have  done  for 
them." 

"Hardly — after  the  way  they  kicked  up 
about  washing  a  few  dishes.  It  made  me 
sick." 

Gif  and  Spouter  began  preparations  for 
breakfast,  and  while  they  were  at  this  the 
four  Rovers  appeared,  one  after  another.  The 
door  to  the  room  turned  over  to  Glutts  and 
Werner  remained  closed. 

"Those  fellows  are  certainly  putting  in 
some  sleep,"  was  Jack's  comment. 

"Shall  I  wake  'em  up?"  questioned  Fred 
quickly. 

"No.  Let  them  take  their  own  time,"  an- 
swered Gif.  "With  such  fine  weather  they 
ought  to  have  no  trouble  in  getting  away,  and 
there  is  no  use  of  another  row  before  they 
start." 

The  lads  prepared  a  generous  breakfast  of 
pancakes  and  some  sausage  meat  that  had 
been  brought  along  from  Timminsportj 
washed  down  with  a  copious  supply  of  hot 
coffee.  As  they  ate  they  cast  sundry  glances 
at  the  closed  bedroom  door,  but  saw  no  sign 
of  Glutts  or  Werner. 


184  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Gee  J  they  must  be  sleeping  like  rocks," 
was  Andy's  comment. 

"You'd  think  the  smell  of  the  pancakes 
and  sausage  would  wake  'em  up  on  such  a 
cold  morning  as  this,"  added  his  twin.  "My! 
but  it's  good!" 

"Perhaps  they  thought  they  wouldn't 
bother  us  about  breakfast  and  take  it  out  in 
sleep  instead,"  suggested  Fred. 

"Say,  did  any  of  your  fellows  get  up  during 
the  night  to  get  something  to  eat — crackers 
er  cheese,  or  anything  like  that?"  questioned 
Gif  quickly. 

All  of  the  others  shook  their  heads. 

"What  makes  you  ask  that  question,  Gif?" 
remarked  Jack. 

"Why,  I  saw  a  lot  of  crumbs  scattered  over 
the  kitchen  table  and  on  the  floor." 

"Maybe  Glutts  and  Werner  got  up  to  get 
something — "  began  Fred,  and  then  a  sudden 
idea  came  into  his  mind  and  he  gave  a  start. 
"Gee!  what  would  you  say  if  they  were 
gone?" 

"Gone !"  echoed  the  others. 

"Maybe  they're  not  in  that  room  at  all!" 
added  Jack. 

"I'll  soon  find  out !"  answered  Gif,  and,  leav- 
ing the  braakfast  table,  he  went  over  and 


FISHING  THROUGH  THE  ICE  185 

tried  the  bedroom  door.  It  was  unlocked,  and 
he  opened  it  and  went  inside. 

"They're  gone,  all  right  enough,"  he  called 
out,  and  immediately  the  others  followed  him 
into  the  room.  Here  they  found  the  beds 
mussed  up  and  empty.  All  of  the  things  be- 
longing to  Glutts  and  Werner  were  gone  and 
the  single  window  of  the  room  was  wide  open. 

"That's  a  fine  way  to  leave,  I  must  say," 
grumbled  Gif. 

"Yes,  and  to  leave  this  window  wide  open 
so  the  room  can  get  as  cold  a  barn!"  added 
Spouter,  as  he  pulled  down  the  sash.  "Some 
mean  fellows,  believe  me !" 

"Let's  see  if  the  horse  and  sleigh  are  gone 
too !"  cried  Randy. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  and  Fred  were  ready  to 
go  out,  and  they  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  down 
to  the  barn  and  the  shed.  Sure  enough,  the 
horse  and  sleigh  were  gone,  and  the  barn  door 
had  been  left  wide  open. 

"I  wonder  when  they  went,"  remarked 
Fred. 

"Most  likely  as  soon  as  it  was  daylight. 
They  probably  had  this  all  fixed  last  night. 
That's  why  they  went  to  bed  early." 

"Well,  it  doesn't  hurt  my  feelings  to  have 
them  missing." 


186  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"I'd  like  to  know  if  they  took  any  of  our 
things  with  them." 

The  two  Rovers  returned  to  th»i  Lodge,  and 
there  told  of  what  they  had  discovered.  A 
search  around  the  Lodge  was  immediately  in- 
stituted, the  boys  looking  over  their  clothing 
and  firearms  and  then  their  stores  and  the 
regular  belongings  of  the  bungalow. 

"As  far  as  I  can  make  out,  there  is  only- 
one  flannel  blanket  from  the  bed  missing/* 
said  Gif.  "I  suppose  they  took  that  along  to 
keep  warm  on  the  ride.  They  didn't  have  but 
one  small  robe  in  the  sleigh." 

"I  don't  know  about  these  stores,"  an- 
nounced Spouter,  who  had  been  going  over 
them  carefully.  "It  seems  to  me  we  had  more 
canned  stuff  than  this — some  green  corn  and 
asparagus,  and  also  some  canned  salmon  and 
sardines." 

"I  wouldn't  put  it  past  'em  to  take  anything 
they  thought  they  needed,"  declared  Fred. 
"They  are  just  that  sort,  and  everybody  here 
knows  it." 

"All  I  can  say  is,  'Good  riddance  to  bad  rub- 
bish,' "  said  RandVo 

"And  may  we  fail  to  see  'em  again  while 
we're  in  this  vicinity,"  added  his  twin. 

"My!  but  it's  a  real  relief  to  have  them 


FISHING  THROUGH  THE  ICE  187 

gone,"  announced  Jack.  "Now  we  can  do  as 
we  please  and  have  the  best  times  ever,"  and 
his  face  showed  his  pleasure. 

Everybody  felt  glad  to  think  the  two  bullies 
were  gone,  and  soon  they  were  chatting  gayly. 
Then,  after  the  breakfast  dishes  had  been  put 
away,  all  went  outside  and  there  indulged  in  a 
snowball  fight  which  lasted  the  best  part  of 
the  morning. 

After  such  a  glorious  time  in  the  open,  all 
the  cadets  ought  to  have  felt  in  the  best  of 
spirits,  but  it  was  observed  by  Jack  at  dinner 
thne  that  Fred  and  the  twins  looked  rather 
preoccupied.  They  were  whispering  together, 
and  presently  Randy  spoke. 

"I  and  Andy  and  Fred  have  been  thinking 
that  perhaps  it  would  be  best  for  us  to  let  you 
other  fellows  know  how  matters  stand,"  said 
he.  "Maybe  you  won't  approve  of  what  we 
did.  Just  the  same,  we  think  Glutts  and  Wer- 
ner deserve  it."  And  thereupon  he  and  the 
others  related  what  had  been  done  the  even- 
ing before  down  at  the  shed.  All  of  the  others 
had  to  grin  at  the  recital,  yet  Jack  and  Gifi 
shook  their  heads. 

"I  don't  blame  you,"  said  the  oldest  Rover 
boy.  "Just  the  same,  it  may  lead  to  more 
trouble." 


188  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"If  they  find  out  that  you  did  it,  they'll 
probably  come  here  and  try  to  pay  us  back," 
was  Gif's  comment. 

"Let  them  come,"  announced  Spouter.  "I, 
guess  we  can  hold  our  own  against  them.  I 
am  glad  we  did  something  for  them  to  re- 
member us  by,  especially  if  they  walked  off 
with  some  of  our  stuff." 

That  afternoon  the  boys  went  hunting 
again,  but  on  account  of  the  heavy  fall  of 
snow  did  not  go  any  great  distance.  They 
managed,  however,  to  get  two  more  rabbits, 
and  also  two  squirrels,  and  two  quail. 

"Well,  that's  something,  anyhow,"  declared 
Fred,  who  had  laid  one  of  the  squirrels  low. 
"A  bird  and  squirrel  potpie  won't  go  bad  for 
a  change." 

"Right-o !"  cried  Andy. 

"Say,  Gif,  what's  the  matter  with  trying 
our  hand  at  fishing  through  the  ice?"  ques- 
tioned Jack.  "The  deep  snow  ought  not  to 
interfere  with  that  sport." 

"Just  as  you  say.  We  can  go  down  to  the 
river  to-morrow  if  the  crowd  is  willing." 

The  day  passed  without  their  seeing  or 
hearing  any  more  of  Werner  and  Glutts,  nor 
did  anyone  come  to  disturb  them  through  the 
night.  Once  Andy  awoke  to  hear  a  noise  at 


FISHING  THROUGH  THE  ICE  189 

a  distance,  but  he  soon  figured  out  that  thia 
was  nothing  more  than  a  hoot  owl. 

Ten  o'clock  of  the  next  day  found  them  on 
the  river  bank.  They  had  brought  their  fish- 
ing tackle  with  them,  and  also  an  axe  with 
which  to  chop  some  holes  through  the  ice. 

"Pretty  thick,  I'm  thinking,"  announced 
Jack,  as  they  came  out  on  the  ice.  "We'll  have 
our  own  troubles  making  holes." 

"How  foolish  we  were  not  to  bring  our 
skates  along!"  cried  Randy.  "We  could  have 
a  dandy  skate."  Their  skates  had  been  left  up 
at  the  Lodge. 

"Never  mind,  we'll  skate  some  other  time," 
said  Spouter.  "We're  out  for  some  fish  to- 
day." 

It  took  over  half  an  hour  to  knock  several 
fair-sized  holes  through  the  ice,  and  then  the 
boys  began  their  fishing,  following  directions 
that  had  been  given  to  Gif  by  some  of  the 
older  hunters. 

"If  I  catch  a  whale  I  don't  see  how  I'm  go- 
ing to  bring  him  up  through  this  hole,"  re- 
marked Andy,  with  a  grin. 

"Oh,  that's  easy,"  returned  his  brother 
gayly.  "All  you'll  have  to  do  will  be  to  jump 
in  and  push  him  up  through  the  hole  where  I 
can  get  hold  of  him." 


190  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Thank  you,  you  can  do  the  jumping  in 
yourself.  This  water  is  about  twenty  degrees 
below  Cicero." 

"I  was  thinking  that  we  could  enlarge  one 
of  the  holes  and  keep  it  open,"  said  Jack,  with 
a  serious  look  on  his  face;  "then  all  you  fel- 
lows can  come  down  here  every  morning  and 
take  a  dip."  At  present  they  were  obtaining 
water  from  a  deep  well  directly  outside  of  the 
kitchen. 

They  fished  for  a  long  time  without  getting 
even  a  nibble.  But  then  Jack  felt  a  gentle  tug, 
and,  after  some  little  excitement,  managed  to 
bring  out  a  fair-sized  catch. 

"Hurrah !  The  first  fish !"  he  cried,  holding 
it  up  proudly. 

"And  may  he  be  the  forerunner  of  many 
more,"  proclaimed  Spouter. 

"I  want  a  whale,"  declared  Randy. 

Such  a  catch  was  an  incentive  to  all  of  the 
others  to  do  their  best,  and  as  a  result  inside 
of  three  hours  the  lads  had  eleven  fish  between, 
them,  some  of  fair  size  and  others  quite  small, 
one,  in  fact,  so  tiny  that  it  was  thrown  back 
into  the  stream,  "so  it  might  grow  a  little," 
as  Fred  expressed  it. 

"One  o'clock!"  announced  Gif,  looking  at 
his  watch.  "I  think  we  had  better  go  back  to 


FISHING  THROUGH  THE  ICE  191 

the  Lodge  and  have  some  of  these  fish  fried 
for  dinner." 

"Second  the  commotion!"  cried  Randy 
quickly. 

Properly  fried,  the  freshly-caught  fish  proved 
delicious  eating,  and  the  boys  lingered  over  the 
repast  while  a  scrap  of  those  which  had  been 
served  was  left.  Half  of  the  catch  was  packed 
away  in  snow  to  be  served  at  another  time. 

The  day  had  just  come  to  an  end  when  the 
boys  heard  a  jingle  of  sleighbells  on  the  road, 
and  then  came  a  whistle. 

"It's  Jed  Wallop,"  announced  Gif. 

"Yes,  and  he's  coming  from  the  direction 
of  Timminsport !"  cried  Fred.  "He  must  have 
been  down  to  the  town." 

"Look!  He's  holding  up  some  letters!" 
ejaculated  Jack.  "Letters !" 

"Letters!  Letters!"  was  the  general  cry, 
and  then  the  whole  crowd  of  cadets  rushed 
down  to  meet  the  old  hunter. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

LETTERS  FROM   HOME 

WHILE  Gif  was  sorting  out  the  mail,  which 
included  not  only  letters  but  also  several 
packages  which  had  been  sent  by  parcels 
post,  Jack  and  Spouter  told  the  old  hunter 
about  the  coming  of  the  two  bullies  to  the 
Lodge,  and  how  they  had  sneaked  away  at 
daybreak. 

"Accordin'  to  that,  them  fellers  can't  be 
very  good  friends  o'  yourn,"  remarked  the  old 
hunter  dryly. 

"They  are  our  enemies,"  answered  Spouter. 
"They  did  all  sorts  of  mean  things  at  Colby 
Hall,  and  when  they  were  found  out  Werner 
got  so  scared  that  he  ran  away  and  never 
came  back." 

"I  guess  their  folks  ought  to  take  'em  in 
hand.  If  they  don't  they'll  be  sorry  fer  it 
later  on,"  said  Wallop.  "But  I  must  be  git- 
tin'  on  now,  fer  I've  got  to  git  ready  to-night 
fer  a  big  day's  work  to-morrow." 

192 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  193 

"Some  day  we  want  you  to  come  down  here 
and  go  out  hunting  with  us,"  said  Jack.  "Can't 
you  show  us  where  we  can  get  a  chance  at  a 
deer,  or  something  else  that  is  worth  while?" 

"Wot's  the  matter  with  stirrin'  up  a  bear?" 
replied  the  old  hunter,  with  a  grin,  his  eyes 
twinkling. 

"That  would  suit  me  to  a  T!"  exclaimed 
Randy. 

"Trot  out  your  bears  and  we'll  polish  'em 
off!"  added  his  twin. 

"Not  many  bears  'round  here,"  announcecf 
Jed  Wallop.  "But  you  might  strike  some- 
thing jest  as  bad,  especially  if  the  snow  keeps 
on  gittin'  deeper.  The  wolves  in  this  neigh- 
borhood git  mighty  pestiferous  when  they 
can't  git  nothin'  to  eat." 

"Wolves!"  exclaimed  Fred.  "Gee!  I  don't 
know  that  I  want  to  run  up  against  a  savage 
wolf." 

After  promising  to  come  down  and  see  them 
during  the  following  week,  Jed  Wallop  drove 
off,  leaving  the  boys  to  return  to  the  Lodge 
and  look  over  their  letters  and  parcel  post 
packages. 

"Here  is  a  letter  from  mother,  and  it  en- 
closes a  letter  from  dad!"  cried  Jack,  as  he 
glanced  over  the  epistle. 


194  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"I've  got  a  letter  from  Mary,"  said  Fred. 
"And  here  is  one  from  May  Powell,  too." 

"Who  is  your  second  letter  from,  Jack?'* 
queried  Spouter. 

"Oh,  never  you  mind  about  that." 

"Looks  as  if  it  might  be  in  Ruth  Steven- 
son's handwriting-,"  said  Andy,  with  a  grin. 

There  were  letters  for  everybody.  Two  0$ 
the  packages  were  from  the  Rover  boys' 
homes,  and  the  third  had  been  sent  to  Spouter 
by  his  mother. 

"A  fruit  cake!"  exclaimed  Fred,  as  he 
opened  the  package  addressed  to  him.  "I'll 
tell  you!  It  takes  my  mother  to  remember 
what  us  fellows  like,"  and  he  smacked  his  lips. 

The  other  package,  addressed  to  Andy  and 
Randy,  contained  a  box  of  home-made  sugar 
cookies,  while  that  which  Spouter  had  re- 
ceived contained  a  long  loaf  of  ginger  cake  and 
a  box  of  hard  candies. 

"Well,  one  thing  is  sure — they  haven't  for- 
gotten us,"  was  Spouter's  remark,  as  he 
passed  the  candies  around. 

All  the  boys  were  anxious  to  read  their 
letters,  and  for  the  time  being  everything  else 
was  forgotten.  Mrs.  Dick  Rover  wrote  that 
nothing  of  importance  had  happened  at  home 
since  they  had  gone  away.  Ruth  Stevenson 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  195 

and  May  Powell  were  still  with  them,  but  all 
of  the  girls  expected  to  go  to  the  Stevenson 
homestead  to  finish  their  school  vacation. 

The  letter  from  Dick  Rover  had  been  sent 
from  the  battlefront  in  France.  In  it  he  re- 
lated how  he  and  his  brothers,  as  well  as  some 
of  their  old  school  chums,  had  been  in  a  num- 
ber of  small  engagements.  In  one  of  these 
Tom  and  Sam  Rover  had  been  slightly 
wounded  by  the  fragments  from  a  shell,  and 
he  himself  had  been  in  a  gas  attack,  but  had 
escaped  without  serious  injury.  All  had  been 
sent  to  the  field  hospital  to  be  treated,  but  now 
they  were  once  more  at  the  front  in  what  were 
called  their  winter  quarters. 

"The  Boches  are  watching  us  like  a  cat 
watches  a  mouse,  and  we  are  equally  on  the 
alert,"  wrote  Dick  Rover.  "There  have  been 
no  big  battles,  but  sniping  is  going  on  con- 
stantly, and  several  of  our  men  have  been 
killed  or  wounded.  We  are  all  anxious  to 
have  the  cold  weather  break  up,  so  that  we  can 
go  forward  and  finish  this  war.  We  feel  that 
we  can  wallop  the  enemy,  if  only  we  have  a 
chance  to  get  at  them." 

"That's  dad,  all  right,"  murmured  Jack  ad* 


196  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

miringly.  He  had  read  the  letter  aloud  for 
the  benefit  of  the  others. 

"Oh,  dear!  I  hope  dad  wasn't  seriously 
hurt,"  murmured  Fred. 

"I  think  if  our  fathers  were  very  badly  hurt 
Uncle  Dick  would  let  us  know,"  answered 
Randy.  "He  isn't  one  to  hold  back  news — he 
knows  we  want  the  truth." 

"If  only  this  war  was  over!"  remarked 
Andy,  and  now  there  was  little  of  his  usual 
light-heartedness  in  his  tone.  "I  won't  feel 
at  ease  until  our  soldiers  are  bound  for  home." 

The  six  cadets  talked  over  the  letters  they 
had  received  for  some  time.  They  had 
brought  stationery  with  them,  and  they  spent 
the  evening  writing  letters  in  return. 

"I  don't  see  how  we're  going  to  get  these 
down  to  Timminsport  unless  we  walk  down 
there,"  remarked  Jack.  "And  a  walk  of  five  or 
six  miles  through  this  snow  eack  way  wouldn't 
be  an  easy  job." 

"I  know  what  we  can  do,"  replied  Gif.  "We 
can  skate  down  the  river  to  a  place  called 
Henryville.  There  is  a  post-office  there,  and 
letters  are  sent  over  to  Timminsport  at  least 
once  a  day." 

"How  far  is  it  to  Henryville?"  questioned 
Randy. 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  :    - 

""Oh,  not  more  than  three  miles." 

"Do  yon  suppose  the  skating  is  any  good?" 

"I  don't  see  why  it  shouldn't  be." 

"Let's  do  it!"  broke  in  Spooler.  "We 
wanted  to  have  a  skate  anyway.  We  can  take 
our  guns  along,  in  case  we  see  any  game." 
And  so  it  was  arranged. 

The  next  day  dawned  Bright  and  clear,  and 
after  breakfast  the  boys  got  their  letters  and 
their  skates  and  started  for  the  river. 

"1*11  wager  well  find  the  ice  covered  with 
snow  in  some  places,"  remarked  Randy. 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  answered  Gif. 
"I  was  hoping  the  high  wind  had  swept  it 
pretty  clean." 

They  were  soon  on  the  ice,  their  skates 
ringing  merrily  as  they  struck  out  into  an 
impromptu  race.  They  swept  down  the  river 
and  around  a  broad  bend,  and  were  soon  wefl 
out  of  sight  of  the  tract  of  forest  land  upon 
which  the  Lodge  was  located. 

"I  hope  Glutts  and  Werner  don't  visit  the 
bungalow  during  our  absence,"  remarked 
Spouter. 

"Well,  that's  a  risk  we've  got  to  run,'*  an- 
swered Jack.  **We  can't  remain  at  home  all 
the  time." 

"Exactly  so!"  put  in  Gif.    "And  it  would 


198  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

be  no  fun  for  some  of  us  to  stay  behind  on 
guard  while  the  others  were  off  enjoying 
themselves." 

For  the  most  part  they  found  the  river 
swept  clear  of  snow,  although  here  and  there 
were  drifts  more  or  less  deep  over  which  they 
had  to  plough  their  way  as  best  they  could. 
This,  however,  was  nothing  but  fun  for  the 
lads,  and  nobody  complained. 

Arriving  at  Henryville,  they  found  that  the 
mail  for  Timminsport  would  go  out  in  less 
than  an  hour,  and  also  learned  that  the  mail 
from  that  place  came  in  twice  daily,  morning 
and  evening. 

"Let's  have  all  our  mail  re-addressed  from 
Timminsport  to  Henryville,"  suggested  Fred; 
"then  we  can  come  down  here  on  our  skates 
any  time  we  feel  like  it  and  get  it."  And  this 
was  done. 

They  found  a  fairly  good  general  store  at 
Henryville,  and  made  a  few  purchases  of  such' 
things  as  they  thought  they  could  use  to  ad- 
vantage during  their  outing.  They  were 
about  to  start  up  the  river  again  when  Jack's 
attention  was  attracted  to  a  large  sleigh  drawn 
by  a  pair  of  powerful  horses.  The  sleigh  was 
driven  by  a  man  who  looked  as  if  he  might 
be  a  German,  and  on  the  back  seat,  wedged  in 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  199 

by  a  number  of  packages,  were  two  other  Ger< 
man-looking  individuals. 

"One  of  those  men  on  the  back  seat  is  that 
Herman  Grouse,  the  fellow  we  rescued  from 
the  burning  car,"  said  Jack  to  the  others. 

"Yes,  and  that  driver  and  the  other  man 
are  two  of  the  fellows  we  met  on  the  road 
when  we  were  trying  to  locate  the  Lodge," 
added  Randy. 

"It's  queer  that  that  Herman  Grouse  should 
be  up  here,"  said  Fred. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  He  said  he  worked  a 
small  farm  somewhere  in  this  vicinity." 

"I  thought  it  was  down  near  Enwood,"  re- 
marked Spouter. 

"One  thing  certain — I  don't  like  the  looks 
of  those  other  Germans,"  came  from  Gif. 
"They  look  like  mighty  suspicious  characters 
to  me." 

Even  had  the  boys  wished  to  do  so,  they 
got  no  opportunity  to  speak  to  the  man  they 
had  rescued  from  the  burning  railroad  car. 
The  sleigh  had  stopped  at  a  house  in  Henry- 
ville,  and  now  it  passed  on  around  a  corner  of 
the  road,  and  was  soon  lost  to  sight  in  the" 
woods. 

Now  that  they  knew  their  letters  were  on 
the  way,  the  cadets  were  in  no  hurry  to  get 


200  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

back  to  the  Lodge.  They  had  brought  along 
a  few  sandwiches  and  now  purchased  some 
fresh  doughnuts,  in  case  they  stayed  away 
from  the  Lodge  during  the  lunch  hour. 

"Let's  take  our  time  and  skate  up  one  or 
two  branches  of  this  river,"  suggested  Gif. 
"It  will  be  easier  than  walking,  and  we  may 
have  a  chance  at  some  game." 

All  were  willing,  and  it  was  suggested  that 
Git  lead  the  way,  which  he  did.  They  left  the 
main  stream  and  started  up  a  smaller  water- 
course leading  directly  into  the  forest. 

"I  just  saw  a  rabbit !"  exclaimed  Randy  pres- 
ently. "There  he  is  now!"  and,  raising  his 
gun,  he  fired  quickly.  But  his  aim  was  not 
good,  and  the  bunny  hopped  behind  a  tree 
and  out  of  sight. 

"Too  bad  you  had  to  take  a  shot  for  noth- 
ing," remarked  Fred.  "That  may  put  the 
other  game  in  this  vicinity  on  the  alert." 

Soon  they  came  to  a  point  where  skating 
was  not  so  easy.  At  first  they  thought  to  go 
back,  but  then  it  was  suggested  that  they 
tramp  along  the  frozen-up  watercourse  on  foot. 

"I  was  thinking  we  might  run  across  sosae 
brook  mink  up  here,"  said  Gif.  "Or  some 
ducks." 

"Oh,  I'd  like  to  get  a  mink  or  a  duck  if 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  2Ql 

there  are  any  in  this  vicinity,"  answered  Jack. 

On  they  tramped  until  a  good  quarter  of  a 
mile  had  been  covered.  Then  they  caught 
sight  of  several  rabbits,  and  brought  down  two 
of  them.  Later  still  they  saw  a  squirrel,  but 
though  Spouter  shot  at  the  frisky  creature,  it 
managed  to  elude  him. 

"Well,  we  can't  expect  to  bag  everything  we 
shoot  at,"  consoled  Jack. 

"I  think  I  know  of  a  short  cut  from  here  to 
the  Lodge,"  said  Gif.  "So  if  you  would  rather 
tramp  through  the  woods  than  go  back  by  way 
of  the  river,  we  might  do  so  and  get  a  chance 
at  some  other  game." 

"All  right,  Gif;  lead  the  way,"  said  Jack, 
and  they  went  forward  under  Gif's  guidance. 

They  were  deep  in  the  forest  when  they 
heard  a  whir  overhead.  They  looked  up 
quickly  to  see  a  number  of  partridges  sailing 
past  close  to  the  tree  tops. 

"Quick!"  yelled  Jack,  and  blazed  away, 
while  all  of  the  others  did  the  same. 


CHAPTER  XX 

LOST  IN  THE  WOOIXS 

THERE  was  no  time  wasted  in  shooting  at  the 
partridges  which  were  flying  along  so  close 
to  the  tree  tops.  The  six  cadets  did  their  best 
but  four  of  the  charges  went  wild.  The  aim  of 
Jack  and  Gif  was  effective,  and  one  wounded 
partridge  came  fluttering  down  to  the  snow 
while  another  dropped  dead  on  the  branches 
of  a  nearby  cedar. 

"Hurrah !  we've  got  two  of  them,  anyhow," 
cried  Gif,  as  he  reached  forward  and  quickly 
put  the  wounded  bird  out  of  its  misery. 

"We've  got  two  provided  we  can  reach  that 
one  up  in  the  tree,"  answered  Jack.  "I'm 
afraid  it's  going  to  be  some  climb  to  get  it 
down." 

"That's  so,"  said  Randy. 

"Oh,  I  can  get  up  there  in  no  time !"  cried 
Andy  gayly.  "Here,  take  my  gun,"  and  with 
his  usual  agility  he  was  soon  mounting  the 
branches  of  the  big  tree,  taking  particular  de- 

202 


LOST  IN  THE  WOODS  203 

light  in  shaking  down  great  masses  of  loose  snow 
on  the  heads  of  those  below. 

As  is  usual  with  cedars,  the  branches  were 
close  together,  and  Andy  soon  found  he  would 
have  his  own  troubles  in  reaching  the  point 
where  the  dead  partridge  rested.  However, 
he  kept  on,  worming  his  way  upward  as  best 
he  could,  until  he  was  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
prize. 

"Some  climb,  believe  me!"  he  called  out  to 
those  below.  "This  tree  is  almost  as  close- 
grown  as  a  cedar  bush." 

Up  went  Andy,  and  presently  managed  to 
get  hold  of  the  dead  partridge  and  drew  the 
game  toward  him.  Just  as  he  did  this  he 
heard  a  peculiar  sound  a  few  feet  below  him 
on  the  other  side  of  the  tree. 

"Hello !  is  somebody  following  me  ?"  he 
questioned,  looking  down  to  see  what  the 
movement  among  the  branches  below  meant. 

There  was  no  reply  to  his  question,  and 
Andy  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  branches 
must  have  become  crossed  in  some  way  and 
then  loosened  themselves.  He  continued  his 
descent,  but  just  as  he  reached  a  branch  two 
feet  further  down  a  peculiar  cry  came  to  his 
alert  ears,  a  cry  not  unlike  that  of  an  angry 
cat. 


204  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Hello !  something  is  up  in  this  tree,  that  is 
sure,"  he  told  himself. 

He  listened,  and  then  heard  another  cry,  this 
time  less  than  two  yards  below  him,  coming 
from  one  of  the  larger  branches  of  the  big 
cedar.  At  once  he  sent  up  a  shout. 

"What's  wanted?"  questioned  his  twin. 
"Why  don't  you  hurry  up  down  so  we  can  do 
some  more  hunting?" 

"There  is  some  wild  animal  in  this  tree!" 
answered  Andy.  "I  don't  know  what  it  is,  but 
it  sounds  like  a  wildcat." 

"A  wildcat !"  burst  out  several  of  the  others. 

"And  Andy  hasn't  any  gun!"  cried  Gif. 
"Come  on,  let  us  see  if  we  can't  shoot  the 
thing!" 

"Go  slow  there,"  cautioned  Jack.  "Let  us 
see  of  we  can't  locate  it  and  find  out  what  it 
is  first.  We  don't  want  it  to  attack  Aady 
while  he  is  unarmed." 

"Are  you  in  any  danger,  Andy?"  called  out 
Fred. 

"Where  Is  the  cat — or  whatever  it  is?" 
asked  Randy. 

*?t's  just  below  me  somewlftre.  I  can't 
see  it,  but  I  can  hear  it  plainly  enough.  It's 
moving  around  in  those  lower  branches.  I 
guess  I  had  better  stay  up  here  for  & 


LOST  IN  THE  WOOD±  205 

and  as  1L  spoke  Andy  mounted  to  a  higher 
limb.  With  no  weapon  handy,  he  had  no  de- 
sire to  face  any  wild  animal. 

Those  below  slowly  circled  the  big  cedar, 
keeping  their  eyes  on  the  alert  for  a  view  of 
whatever  might  be  prowling  around  among 
the  branches.  They  had  their  guns  ready  for 
use,  but  realized  that  they  must  fire  with  great 
caution,  or  otherwise  they  might  hit  the  lad 
who  was  in  peril. 

"I  suppose  the  wildcat,  or  whatever  it  !s, 
was  up  in  the  tree  and  didn't  know  what  to  do 
when  Andy  started  to  come  up.  The  beast 
knew  we  were  down  here,  or  otherwise  it 
would  probably  have  jiimped  down  and  run 
off." 

"Squirrels  don't  cry  like  a  cat,  and  I  heard 
that  beast  just  cry,"  said  Jack.  "All  squirrels 
do  is  to  chatter." 

"There's  another  danger,"  said  Gif.  "If  we 
come  too  close  to  that  tree  we'll  probably  drive 
the  wildcat,  or  whatever  it  is,  up  to  where 
Andy  is." 

"Here's  the  bird!"  shouted  Andy  from 
above,  and  threw  the  partridge  down  and  away 
from  the  tree. 

Jack  and  Andy's  twin  took  a  few  steps 
closer  to  the  big  cedar,  at  the  same  time  hold- 


200  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

ing  their  guns  ready  for  instant  use.  They 
peered  upward  among  the  snow-laden 
branches,  and  presently  caught  sight  of  a 
slinking  form  resting  in  a  crotch  of  the  tree. 

"There  it  is!"  exclaimed  Randy,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  firing  when  the  wildcat — for 
such  it  had  proved  to  be — dropped  out  oi 
sight  and  leaped  to  a  branch  on  the  other  side 
of  the  tree  trunk. 

"Hi  there!  don't  drive  that  beast  up  here/' 
called  out  Andy. 

"Andy,"  called  back  his  twin  suddenly, 
"weren't  you  carrying  that  flashlight?" 

"No,  I  left  it  at  the  Lodge.  I  didn't  think 
I  would  want  it  on  the  trip  to  Henryville." 

"I've  got  my  flashlight,"  remarked  Gif. 
''Here  it  is/'"  and  he  brought  it  forth. 

The  ttght  was  flashed  up  into  the  tree  ancf 
around  from  branch  to  branch.  As  the  rays 
traveled  through  the  cedar  there  was  a  sud- 
den wild  cry  from  the  animal,  and  then  came 
a  swish  and  a  whirr  as  the  wildcat  sprang  to 
the  outer  end  of  a  limb  and  then  down  into  th« 
snow. 

Bang!  bang!  bang!  went  the  guns  in  the 
hands  of  Gif,  Randy,  and  Spouter.  But 
whether  they  hit  the  wildcat  or  not,  they  could 
not  tell.  There  was  a  whirl  in  the  snow,  and 


LOST  IN  THE  WOODS  207 

then  in  a  twinkling  the  beast  had  disappeared 
into  the  forest  behind  them. 

"Well,  it's  gone,  anyhow,"  declared  Jack,  in 
a  tone  of  great  relief.  "You  can  come  down, 
Andy." 

Andy  was  soon  out  of  the  tree,  and,  having 
picked  up  the  two  partridges,  the  six  young 
hunters  continued  on  their  way,  as  they  sup- 
posed, in  the  direction  of  Cedar  Lodge. 

Presently  they  came  to  another  clearing, 
and  on  the  far  side  of  this  noted  some  animals 
hopping  about  which  they  felt  certain  must 
be  rabbits. 

"Let's  go  over  there !"  cried  Fred  excitedly. 
"Maybe  we  can  make  a  good  haul." 

"It's  a  pretty  good  tramp  around  to  the 
other  side  of  this  clearing,"  remarked  Gif. 
"And  it  looks  to  me  as  if  it  might  begin  to 
snow  again,"  he  added,  with  a  glance  at  the 
sky  which  was  now  heavily  overcast. 

But  all  of  the  others  wanted  a  chance  to  get 
more  game,  so  in  the  end  the  six  cadets 
tramped  around  one  edge  of  the  clearing  until 
they  reached  a  point  close  to  the  spot  where 
the  rabbits  had  been  seen.  Here  the  bunnies 
were  out  in  force,  trying  to  find  something  to 
eat,  and  they  had  but  little  difficulty  in  bag- 
ging four  of  the  creatures. 


208  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Well,  that's  not  so  bad  but  what  it  might 
be  worse,"  announced  Jacko 

"We  should  have  had  more  than  four," 
grumbled  Randy.  "There  were  at  least  fifteen 
or  sixteen  rabbits  to  be  seen."  He  had  missed 
what  he  had  thought  to  be  a  comparatively 
easy  shot. 

"Well,  we  can't  have  everything,"  declared 
Spouter  philosophically. 

They  trudged  on  once  more,  Gif,  as  before, 
taking  the  lead.  But  presently  the  tall  cadet 
called  a  halt. 

"What's  the  matter  now?"  questioned 
Randy.  "See  any  more  game  ahead?" 

"No."  Gif  was  staring  around  first  to  the 
right  and  then  to  the  left.  "Hang  it  if  I  know 
whether  we  are  on  the  right  trail  or  not !" 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,  Gif,  you  don't  know 
in  what  direction  the  Lodge  is  located?"  ques- 
tioned Spouter  quickly. 

"I  think  it's  off  in  that  direction,  Spouter/' 
was  the  reply,  and  Gif  pointed  with  his  hand, 
"but  I'm  not  dead  sure  of  it.  Circling  that 
clearing  threw  me  off  the  track." 

"Well,  were  you  sure  of  the  trail  before  we 
came  over  here?"  questioned  Jack.  "If  you 
were,  we  can  go  back  you  know,  even  though 
it  is  quite  a  tramp." 


1.057  IN  THE  WOODS  209 

"I  thought  I  was  sure,  Jack.  But  now  I'm 
not  sure  of  anything,"  answered  Gif  helplessly. 
"Someway  or  other,  I  seem  to  be  completely 
turned  around." 

"Gee!  then  we're  in  a  pretty  pickle," 
groaned  Fred,  who  was  beginning  to  grow 
tired  of  tramping  through  the  snow. 

"If  we  could  only  get  down  to  the  river 
again  we'd  be  all  right,"  came  from  Randy. 

"I  wonder  if  I  could  locate  the  Lodge  from 
the  top  of  one  of  these  trees,"  remarked  Jack. 
"It  would  be  quite  a  climb  to  get  such  a  view, 
but  it  would  be  better  than  tramping  around 
without  knowing  where  one  was  going." 

"I'll  do  the  climbing,"  answered  Gif  quickly. 
"I  got  you  fellows  into  this  mess,  and  it's  up  to 
me  to  get  you  out." 

"Oh,  don't  think  I'm  complaining,"  returned 
Spouter  quickly. 

"None  of  us  is  complaining,  Gif.  We  all 
know  it's  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  get 
lost  in  a  big  woods  like  this — especially  when 
there  is  snow  on  the  ground  to  cover  up  the 
landmarks." 

A  tall  pine  was  selected,  and  the  others 
boosted  Gif  upward  as  far  as  they  could.  Then 
he  mounted  from  branch  to  branch,  and  the 
ot*  ers  waited  below  as  patiently  as  possible  for 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

what  he  might  have  to  report.  In  the  mean- 
time a  few  flakes  of  snow  came  drifting  down- 
ward, and  soon  it  was  snowing  steadily. 

"Well,  what  can  you  see?"  called  out  Jack, 
after  those  below  had  waited  quite  a  while  for 
their  chum  to  make  a  report. 

"I  can't  see  very  much  on  account  of  the 
snow  coming  down,"  announced  Gif.  "I  can 
see  the  edge  of  a  clearing  that  might  be  the 
one  where  Cedar  Lodge  is  located,  but  I  am 
not  certain  of  it." 

"Well,  take  another  good  look,"  advised 
Spouter.  "Wish  we  had  field  glasses,"  he 
added. 

It  was  a  full  fifteen  minutes  before  Gif  re- 
joined the  others.  He  had  located  but  one 
place  that  looked  like  the  clearing  surrounding 
the  Lodge,  but,  as  he  had  said  before,  he  was 
by  no  means  certain  that  this  was  the  right 
location. 

"Well,  we  might  as  well  try  it  anyway," 
announced  Jack.  "We  can't  stay  here  all 
night." 

"It's  too  bad  it  began  to  snow  so  heavily 
just  as  I  was  climbing  the  tree,"  remarked 
Gif.  "If  it  hadn't  been  for  that  I  might  have 
gotten  quite  a  view  and  maybe  located  the 
bungalow  without  difficulty.  However,  this 


BANG !    BANG !    BANG  !  WENT  THE  GUNS  IN  THE  HANDS  OF 
GIF,  RANDY,  AND  SPOUTER. 

The  Raver  Boys  on  a  Hunt.  f*age  206. 


LOST  IN  THE  WOODS  2JI 

may  prove  to  be  the  right  trail  after  all.  Come 
on,  before  it  gets  dark." 

"Wish  I  had  something  more  to  eat,"  re- 
marked Andy,  The  few  sandwiches  and 
doughnuts  they  had  brought  along  had  long 
since  been  eaten. 

As  they  walked  on  the  way  seemed  to  grow 
more  difficult.  They  soon  found  themselves 
at  a  point  where  there  were  a  series  of  rocks 
backed  up  by  low-hanging  bushes  thickly  cov- 
ered with  snow.  There  was  no  wind,  but  the 
snow  was  now  coming  down  more  thickly  than 
ever. 

"Gee  \  it  looks  to  me  as  if  we  were  lost,"  re- 
marked Fred. 

All  gazed  around  them,  but  saw  little  to  give 
them  satisfaction.  Behind  them  lay  the  thick 
forest,  and  in  front  of  them  the  rocks  and 
bushes.  It  was  now  growing  dark,  and  this 
added  to  their  uneasiness. 

"Well,  what  shall  we  do  next?"  questioned 
Gif. 

Nobody  answered  that  question.  They  were 
undoubtedly  lost,  and  what  was  to  be  done 
about  it  was  a  serious  problem. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A  NIGHT  UNDER  THE  CLIFF 

"ONE  thing  is  sure,"  said  Jack  presently.  "We 
can't  stand  out  here  in  this  snowstorm  all 
night." 

"Let's  go  on  at  least  a  short  distance 
further,"  broke  in  Spouter. 

"Maybe  we'll  come  to  some  sort  of  trail 
that  Gif  will  recognize/'  put  in  Randy. 

"I'm  getting  dead  tired.  I  can't  tramp  more 
than  a  mile  or  two  further,"  said  Fred. 

"I  don't  believe  any  of  us  care  to  go  any 
such  distance  as  that,  Fred,"  returned  Jack 
kindly.  "Here,  give  me  your  gun.  I'll  carry 
it  for  you,"  for  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  the 
youngest  Rover  was  becoming  exhausted. 

All  were  tired  out  from  their  skate  and  their 
tramp,  and  climbing  among  the  rough  rocks 
covered  with  snow  was  by  no  means  easy. 

Soon  they  reached  another  line  of  rocks, 
this  time  much  higher  than  those  they  had 
been  crossing.  At  one  end  of  the  rocks  was 

212 


213 

a  small  cliff.  At  the  top  of  this  several  cedars 
had  once  stood,  but  the  .winds  of  the  winter 
before  had  blown  them  over,  so  that,  while 
the  roots  were  still  imbedded  in  the  cliff,  the 
tops  rested  in  the  snow  below. 

"Great  salt  mackerel!"  cried  Gif  in  dismay. 
"Well,  now  I  have  spilled  the  beans!" 

"What's  up  now?"  questioned  Randy 
quickly. 

"I  heard  my  uncle  tell  about  this  place.  He 
visited  it  just  after  those  trees  fell  over.  He 
said  the  spot  was  about  three  miles  from  the 
Lodge." 

At  this  there  was  a  groan  from  the  twins 
and  Fred. 

"We  can't  walk  that  distance  in  this  snow- 
storm," said  the  latter  decidedly. 

"Not  over  those  rough  rocks,  anyway," 
added  Randy.  "I  feel  as  if  my  ankles  were 
getting  twisted  out  of  shape." 

"Do  you  know  in  what  direction  the  Lodge 
is  from  here?"  questioned  Spouter. 

"I  do  not,  except  that  you  have  to  be  on 
the  top  of  the  cliff  to  get  to  it.  We  were  evi- 
dently headed  the  right  way,  although  we 
must  have  walked  in  a  big  semicircle  since 
we  left  the  river." 

"I'm  going  to  climb  to  the  top  of  the  cliff 


214  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 


and  have  a  look  around,"  declared  Jack. 
"Here,  take  these  guns  and  the  game." 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  mount  to  the  top 
of  the  cliff  which  at  this  point  was  at  least 
fifteen  feet  over  their  heads.  But  Jack  finally 
made  it,  and  was  followed  by  Spouter  and 
Gif. 

Here,  however,  the  view  was  no  better  than 
from  below — the  thickly  falling  snow  hiding 
the  landscape  on  every  side.  Night  was  com- 
ing on  and  it  was  growing  colder,  and  the  boys 
could  not  help  but  shiver. 

"I  guess  the  best  thing  we  can  do  it  to  try 
to  make  ourselves  comfortable  for  the  night," 
remarked  Jack. 

"How  can  we  make  ourselves  comfortable 
without  anything  to  eat?"  questioned  Spouter. 

"We've  got  the  game.  We  can  start  a  fire 
and  cook  some  of  that." 

"And  besides,  you  must  remember  we  have 
the  things  we  bought  at  Henryville,"  said  Gif. 

The  three  rejoined  the  others,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  what  to  do  was  put  to  the  younger 
Rovers.  Fred  and  Andy  declared  they  could 
not  tramp  much  further,  and  at  once  agreed 
that  it  would  be  best  to  try  to  make  themselves 
comfortable  for  the  night. 

"It  looks  as  if  there  might  be  some  kind  of 


A  NIGHT  UNDER  THE  CLIFF  215 

shelter  under  those  fallen  cedars,"  said  Randy. 
"Hanging  down  from  the  top  of  the  cliff, 
they  form  a  sort  of  lean-to." 

"I  was  thinking  of  that,"  said  Jack.  "Let 
us  get  under  them  and  investigate." 

"Beware  of  more  wildcats,"  cautioned  Andy. 

"We'll  use  my  flashlight,"  said  Gif. 

This  was  done,  he  and  several  of  the  others 
investigated  the  spot  under  the  fallen  cedars 
with  care.  No  trace  of  any  wild  animal,  not 
even  a  rabbit  or  a  squirrel,  was  found.  Then 
the  boys  began  to  size  up  the  situation,  trying 
to  determine  how  they  could  make  themselves 
at  home  there  for  the  night. 

"First  of  all  I  think  we  had  better  build  a 
fire,"  suggested  Gif.  "Then,  after  we  have 
warmed  up  and  rested  a  bit,  we  can  prepare 
supper." 

With  so  much  wood  at  hand  it  was  an  easy 
matter  to  start  a  campfire.  This  was  placed 
at  one  side  of  the  opening  under  the  fallen 
cedars,  the  boys  taking  care  that  the  flames 
should  not  reach  the  trees.  With  their  hatchet 
they  cut  off  some  of  the  cedar  boughs  and 
scattered  these  over  the  ground  for  a  flooring. 
The  driest  they  placed  to  one  side  to  use  for 
bedding  later. 

Fortunately  while  at  Henryville  they  had 


2i6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

purchased  a  fair-sized  box  of  cocoa.  This  box 
was  of  tin,  and  Jack  suggested  that  they  dump 
the  cocoa  out  on  a  sheet  of  paper  which  he 
had  in  his  pocket  and  then  use  the  tin  for  a 
pot  in  which  to  boil  water. 

"It  won't  make  a  very  large  cocoa  pot,  but 
it  will  be  better  tnan  nothing,  and  we  can  fill 
it  as  many  times  as  we  please." 

The  boys  had  several  collapsible  drinking 
cups  with  them,  and  these  they  would  take 
ttTns  in  using. 

"I'm  mighty  glad  we  bought  that  cheese," 
remarked  Spouter.  "That  will  help  out  quite 
a  little,"  for  they  carried  a  piece  weighing  al- 
most two  pounds. 

Of  the  other  things  purchased  at  Henryville, 
only  a  box  of  fancy  crackers  could  be  used. 
There  were  two  dozen  all  told,  and  these  were 
divided  by  Randy,  four  crackers  to  each  cadet. 

"Well  clean  a  couple  of  the  rabbits  and  see 
what  we  can  do  about  broiling  them  over  the 
flames,"  said  Gif.  "Now  you  fellows  can  show 
what  you  can  do,"  he  added,  with  a  grin.  "It's 
all  well  enough  to  work  when  you've  got  the 
tools  to  work  with,  but  quite  another  story 
when  you've  got  next  to  nothing." 

Water  was  obtained  by  melting  a  quantity 
of  the  snow,  and  soon  they  had  the  first  can 


A  NIGHT  UNDER  THE  CLIFF  217 

of  hot  cocoa  ready.  In  the  meanwhile  several 
of  the  lads  were  broiling  the  rabbits  as  best 
they  could. 

"I  know  how  I'm  going  to  heat  the  next 
can  of  water,"  declared  Andy.  "I'm  going  to 
do  as  the  Indians  did — drop  a  clean,  redhot 
stone  into  it."  And  this  he  did  later  on  and 
got  his  boiling  water  in  short  order. 

It  was  not  a  very  satisfactory  meal,  but  the 
lads  had  fun  eating  it,  and  they  did  not  com- 
plain when  they  found  portions  of  the  broiled 
rabbits  slightly  burnt  and  found  that  four 
fancy  crackers  with  cheese  each  did  not  take 
the  place  of  a  big  pan  of  biscuits  or  a  good- 
sized  loaf  of  bread. 

"One  thing  is  in  our  favor,  anyhow,"  said 
Fred,  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction,  after  they  had 
finished  their  scant  meal,  "We  won't  have  to 
wash  the  dishes." 

The  can  was  dried  over  the  fire,  the  cocoa 
was  replaced,  and  then  the  lads  proceeded  to 
make  themselves  comfortable  for  the  night. 
They  missed  their  blankets,  and  it  was  there- 
fore decided  that  they  should  take  turns  in 
sitting  up  and  guarding  the  fire,  so  that  all 
might  keep  warm  without  running  the  danger 
of  setting  fire  to  the  cedars  under  which  they 
were  resting. 


2i8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

It  proved  to  be  a  long  and  wearisome  night 
for  most  of  them.  The  resting  places  were 
anything  but  soft,  and  a  fitful  wind  often  blew 
the  smoke  of  the  campfire  toward  the  would- 
be  sleepers,  causing  them  to  cough  and  shift 
their  positions.  But  neither  man  nor  beast 
came  to  disturb  them,  for  which  they  were 
thankful. 

"Going  to  bother  about  breakfast?"  ques- 
tioned Jack,  as  he  sat  up  and  saw  that  Gif  and 
Spouter  were  already  stirring. 

"I  don't  think  so,"  was  the  answer.  "If  you 
fellows  are  willing,  we'll  strike  right  out  for 
the  Lodge.  We  can  get  a  better  meal  there." 

The  others  agreed,  and  almost  before  day- 
light they  were  on  their  way  again.  They 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  cliff,  and,  after  mov- 
ing around  cautiously  for  several  hundred  feet, 
reached  a  well  defined  trail  running  in  the  di- 
rection Gif  thought  they  ought  to  take. 

The  storm  had  cleared  away,  and  soon  the 
sun  came  peeping  over  the  treetops. 

"Gee!  I  won't  do  a  thing  to  a  good  hot 
breakfast  when  we  reach  the  Lodge,"  re- 
marked Randy  to  his  twin. 

"I'll  be  with  you,"  returned  Andy.  "A  big 
heaping  plate  of  pancakes  with  maple  syrup 
for  me,  flanked  by  a  couple  of  good-sized 


A  NIGHT  UNDER  THE  CUPF  219 

sausage  cakes  and  washed  down  with  a  big 
cup  of  that  cocoa  1" 

"Say,  Andy,  you  make  me  hungry  clean 
down  to  my  shoes !"  burst  out  Fred. 

"I  think  we'll  all  be  able  to  eat  a  good  break- 
fast by  the  time  we  get  there,"  announced 
Gif. 

"Are  you  sure  you  are  on  the  right  trail, 
Gif?"  questioned  Spouter  anxiously. 

"Yes,  I  know  where  I  am  now.  It's  queer 
how  I  got  mixed  up  before." 

"How  much  further?"  questioned  Jack. 

"About  half  a  mile." 

They  crossed  another  small  clearing,  and  on 
the  edge  of  this  caught  sight  of  several  more 
rabbits.  Jack  and  Randy  fired  simultaneously 
and  were  lucky  to  bring  down  two  of  the  bun- 
nies. 

"They  will  help  out  the  larder  just  so  much 
more,"  announced  Gif,  after  they  had  tried  for 
several  minutes  to  stir  up  more  of  the  rabbits, 
but  without  success. 

"I  wish  we  could  get  a  chance  at  some  other 
kind  of  game,"  remarked  Jack. 

Presently  they  caught  sight  of  Cedar  Lodge 
at  a  distance,  and  then  all  hurried  their  pace. 

"Looks  mighty  good  to  a  fellow  after  he*e 
been  away  all  night,"  declared  Spouter. 


220  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Look,  Look!"  burst  out  Gif.  "What  can 
that  mean  ?  Every  window  and  every  door  of 
the  Lodge  is  wide  open!" 

"Sure  as  you're  born,  Gif  is  right!"  ejacu- 
lated Fred.  "Something  is  wrong,  that's  sure." 

All  set  off  on  a  run,  to  ascertain  as  quickly 
as  possible  what  had  occurred  at  the  Lodge 
during  their  absence.  Gif  was  the  first  to 
enter  the  place,  but  he  was  quickly  followed 
by  the  others. 

"Gee  !  what  do  you  know  about  this  ?"  ejacu- 
lated Andy. 

"This  is  the  work  of  our  enemies!"  mur- 
mured Jack. 

The  doors  and  windows  had  evidently  been 
open  for  some  time,  for  the  Lodge  was  bitter 
cold  inside  and  not  a  little  snow  had  drifted 
in  through  the  openings.  The  wind  had  like- 
wise entered,  blowing  the  ashes  of  the  dead 
fire  in  all  directions. 

"I'll  bet  Glutts  and  Werner  did  this !"  cried 
Spouter. 

"Just  what  I  think,"  answered  Jack. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

AT   TONY   DUVAI/S   CAMP 

THE  six  cadets  lost  no  time  in  making  $ 
thorough  examination  of  the  Lodge.  In  the 
bedrooms  they  found  everything  topsy-turvy, 
the  bed  clothes  having  been  hauled  near  the 
windows  where  the  incoming  snow  might  fall 
upon  them.  In  the  kitchen  they  found  many 
of  their  cooking  utensils  in  the  sink,  and  over 
them  had  been  poured  a  mixture  of  flour,  cat- 
sup, maple  syrup,  and  condensed  milk.  In  the 
storeroom  many  other  things  were  upset,  and 
not  a  few  of  the  supplies  appeared  to  be  miss- 
ing. 

"This  is  certainly  the  worst  yet!"  groaned 
Fred,  as  he  looked  at  the  mussed-up  and  ruined 
food. 

"I  said  Glutts  and  Werner  would  get  back 
at  you  for  meddling  with  their  supplies,"  re- 
marked Jack  sharply.  "They  have  certainly 
paid  us  back  with  interest." 

"I  wish  we  had  those  two  fellows  here  now. 

221 


322  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

I'd  hammer  them  good  and  proper,"  declared 
Randy.  "Just  the  same,  I  suppose  this  is  oui; 
fault,  and  I'm  mighty  sorry  for  it,"  he  added, 
looking  at  Jack,  Gif,  and  Spouter. 

"They  either  took  a  large  share  of  our  sup- 
plies away,  or  else  hid  them,"  said  Gif,  after 
another  look  around.  "My,  what  a  mess  they  did 
make!" 

"Well,  as  we  are  largely  responsible  for  this, 
it's  up  to  us  to  take  hold  and  clean  up  the  best 
we  can,"  announced  Randy  to  his  twin  and 
Fred. 

"Right  you  are,"  answered  Andy.  "Come 
ahead!  we'll  clean  up  the  living-room  first  and 
get  a  fresh  fire  started." 

"All  right,  you  fellows  do  that,  and  we'll 
tackle  the  bedrooms,"  said  Jack.  "We'll  have 
to  dry  out  that  bedding  before  night." 

Soon  the  whole  crowd  was  busy,  breakfast, 
for  the  time,  being  forgotten.  All  went  at  the 
task  with  a  will,  and  before  long  everything 
was  straightened  out  but  the  kitchen.  Doors 
and  windows  had  been  closed,  a  fresh  fire  had 
been  lit,  and  then  the  roaring  logs  sent  a  grate- 
ful warmth  through  the  entire  bungalow. 

"Now  we'll  get  breakfast,  and  then  we'll 
clean  up  this  mess  in  the  kitchen,"  announced 
Gif. 


223 

"And  what  are  we  going  to  do  after  that?'* 
questioned  Jack. 

"What  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do,  Jack  ?" 

"Square  accounts  with  Glutts  and  Werner, 
if  they  are  the  guilty  parties.** 

"They  only  paid  us  back  for  what  Fred  and 
the  twins  did,"  said  Spouter.  "I  don't  knov? 
but  what  we  might  as  well  call  it  quits." 

"Well,  we'll  go  over  there,  anyway,  and  see 
what  they've  got  to  say  for  themselves,"  said 
Jack.  "Perhaps  at  the  least  we'll  be  able  to 
scare  them  so  that  they'll  leave  us  alone  in 
the  future." 

"All  right,  we  might  do  that,"  answered 
Gif ;  and  so  it  was  decided. 

The  boys  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Glutts 
and  Werner,  accompanied  possibly  by  Cod- 
fish, must  have  visited  the  Lodge  some  time  in 
the  middle  of  the  previous  afternoon.  Evi- 
dently the  marauders  had  been  afraid  that  the 
bungalow's  occupants  might  return  at  any 
moment,  for  they  had  worked  with  great 
speed. 

"They  took  a  big  chance  with  that  fire,"  re- 
marked Randy.  "If  the  wind  had  blown  the 
sparks  too  far — into  the  bedrooms  for  instance 
. — the  whole  place  might  have  gone  up  in 
flames." 


224  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

At  first  the  lads  thought  to  go  over  to  Tony 
Duval's  place  without  delay.  But  by  the  time 
they  had  straightened  out  the  bungalow  and 
gotten  their  breakfast,  the  older  cadets  were  in 
a  different  frame  of  mind. 

"More  than  likely  they'll  be  on  their  guard! 
to-day,  looking  for  us  to  come  over,"  said 
Jack.  Let  us  wait  two  or  three  days  and  try 
to  catch  them  unawares,"  and  this  change  was 
made  in  their  plans. 

Several  days,  including  Sunday,  passed,  and 
the  six  cadets  took  it  easy.  It  snowed  part  of 
the  time,  so  that  they  went  out  hunting  only 
once.  On  that  trip  they  managed  to  get  sev- 
eral more  rabbits  and  four  quail,  but  that  was 
all. 

"I  thought  I  saw  a  fox,"  said  Gif  on  the 
morning  following.  "I  heard  nim  bark  during 
the  night  too." 

"Was  he  a  silver  fox?"  questioned  Jaclc 
eagerly. 

"I  didn't  see  him  well  enough  to  find  out, 
and  I  can't  tell  the  color  of  a  fox  from  his 
bark,"  was  Gif's  somewhat  dry  reply.  And  at  this 
there  was  a  laugh. 

Then  the  storm  cleared  away  once  more, 
and  on  the  following  morning  the  boys  re- 
solved to  tramp  in  the  direction  of  Tony  Du- 


AT  TONY  DUVAL'S  CAMP  22$ 

val's  place  and  see  if  they  could  locate  Werner 
and  Glutts. 

"I  don't  believe  this  Tony  Duval  is  a  very 
nice  fellow  to  meet,"  remarked  Gif,  when  they 
were  on  their  way.  "I  saw  him  twice,  and 
he  looked  like  anything  but  a  pleasant  charac- 
ter." 

The  middle  of  the  forenoon  found  them  on 
the  grounds  occupied  by  the  various  shacks 
belonging  to  the  French-Canadian.  They 
were  small  structures,  built  for  the  most  part 
of  slabsides,  and  each  contained  but  two  win- 
dows and  a  door. 

"I  wonder  which  shack  is  that  used  by 
Glutts  and  Werner,"  remarked  Randy,  as  they 
looked  around. 

Nobody  was  in  sight.  There  were  five  of 
the  shacks  located  several  hundred  feet  apart, 
and  each  with  some  timber  around  it. 

"We'll  try  the  nearest  place,"  said  Gif,  and, 
going  up  to  it,  he  knocked  sharply  on  the  door. 
He  waited  for  fully  a  minute,  but  there  was  no 
reply. 

"Seems  to  be  empty,"  remarked  Jack,  after 
looking  in  through  one  of  the  windows. 
"There  is  no  sign  of  a  fire  in  the  fireplace." 

They  tramped  on  to  the  next  shack,  and 
found  that  was  likewise  vacant. 


226  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"I  think  we'll  find  somebody  at  home  in  dw 
third  shack,"  announced  Spouter.  "Anyway, 
I  see  smoke  coming  from  the  chimney." 

They  were  approaching  the  doorway  of  this 
rude  structure  when  it  was  suddenly  flung 
open  and  a  man  stepped  into  view.  He  wora 
a  hunter's  outfit,  and  carried  a  double-barreled 
shotgun  in  his  hands. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  questioned,  and  his  tone 
had  a  strong  French  accent.  "What  do  you 
want  here  ?" 

"We  are  looking  for  a  fellow  named  Werner 
who  hired  one  of  these  shacks,"  answered 
Gif. 

"Who  are  you?"  repeated  the  man  sharply, 
and  then  Gif  recognized  Tony  Duval. 

"I  am  the  son  of  one  of  the  men  who  own 
Cedar  Lodge.  We  want  to  find  Werner  and 
the  two  fellows  who  are  with  him." 

"Aha!  So  you  are  the  young  fellows  from 
Cedar  Lodge  who  made  so  much  trouble  for 
Mistaire  Werner  and  his  friends,"  cried  Tony 
Duval.  "He  has  told  me  all  about  that." 

"Did  he  tell  you  what  he  did  down  at  Cedar 
Lodge  ?"  demanded  Jack. 

"He  say  he  would  square  the  account.  Why 
should  he  not  do  that?  You  have  no  right  to 
destroy  his  things  and  hurt  his  horse." 


AT  TONY  DUVAL'S  CAMP  227 

"We  didn't  touch  his  horse!"  answered  Fred 
quickly. 

"His  horse  is  g^one  lame,  and  he  say  you  do 
that,"  cried  Tony  Duval.  "I  do  not  want  such 
people  as  you  around  my  place.  You  can  go 
back,  and  you  must  stay  off  my  property,"  and 
Tony  Duval  emphasized  his  words  by  hand- 
ling his  shotgun  suggestively. 

"If  Werner  and  his  friend*  are  here  we 
want  to  see  them,"  cried  Jack  sharply. 
"Which  shack  do  they  live  in?" 

"They  live  there."  Duval  pointed  with  his 
thumb.  "They  are  not  at  home  now.  They 
go  on  a  hunt.  But  you  shall  not  make  more 
trouble  for  them  or  you  will  hear  from  me," 
and  again  he  handled  his  gun  suggestively. 
The  man's  face  was  very  red  and  looked  as  if 
he  had  been  drinking.  Evidently  he  was  in 
an  ugly  humor. 

After-  that  the  cadets  attempted  to  argue 
with  Tony  Duval,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  He 
was  very  stubborn,  and  he  insisted  upon  it  that 
they  had  already  made  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
for  his  patrons.  He  finally  ordered  them  away, 
and  acted  so  threateningly  that  they  retired. 

"Well,  we've  had  our  walk  for  nothing,"  re- 
marked Fred,  when  they  were  in  the  wo©ds 
again. 


328  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  answered  Randy. 
"Let  us  keep  our  eyes  open.  Maybe  we'll 
run  across  Werner  and  Glutts." 

The  four  Rovers  and  their  chums  walked 
leisurely  through  the  woods,  keeping  their  eyes 
open  for  the  possible  appearance  of  their 
enemies,  and  also  for  any  game  that  might 
present  itself.  Thus  the  best  part  of  an  hour 
went  by,  and  they  managed  to  bring  down  one 
more  rabbit  and  also  a  squirrel.  Then  they 
heard  some  shooting  at  a  distance,  and  walked 
cautiously  in  that  direction. 

"There  they  are!"  cried  Randy  presently, 
and  pointed  out  of  the  woods  and  across  a 
small  clearing. 

All  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and 
there  saw  Werner,  Glutts,  and  Codfish.  Each 
had  a  gun,  and  the  three  had  been  shooting  at 
a  number  of  rabbits.  Only  Werner  had  been 
successful,  the  others  shooting  wide  of  the 
mark. 

"Let  us  circle  the  clearing  and  surprise 
them,"  said  Jack,  and  to  this  the  others  immedi- 
ately agreed. 

With  caution  they  made  their  way  around 
the  clearing,  doing  their  best  to  remain  hidden 
from  the  other  boys.  They  had  no  desire  to 
be  mistaken  for  game  and  shot  at,  so  they  had 


AT  TONY  DUVAL'S  CAMP 


229 


to  keep  their  eyes  on  the  alert  as  they  ad- 
vanced. 

Werner  and  his  cronies  had  passed  into  the 
woods,  and  now  were  making  their  way  down 
a  hillside  into  a  hollow  where  they  had  built 
a  fair-sized  campfire.  As  the  Rovers  and  their 
chums  came  closer  they  saw  the  three  sitting 
around  the  campfire  and  evidently  getting 
ready  to  have  a  midday  lunch. 

"Come  on !  We're  six  to  three,  so  we  ought 
to  be  able  to  manage  those  fellows  with  ease !" 
cried  Fred. 

"Wait  a  minute!  I've  got  an  idea!"  ex- 
claimed Randy,  holding  his  cousin  back. 

"What  is  it?"  questioned  Spouter. 

"Do  you  see  how  much  higher  the  other 
side  of  the  slope  is?"  went  on  Andy.  "Well, 
that  slope  runs  right  down  to  where  they  are 
sitting  and  have  their  fire.  Now  a  few  big 
snowballs  started  down  that  slope — " 

"I've  got  you,  Andy!"  burst  out  his  twin, 
with  twinkling  eyes.  "It  will  be  great !  Come 
on,  fellows,  we'll  smother  'em  with  snow!" 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

SIX    BIG    SNOWBALLS 

IT  did  not  take  the  four  Rovers  and  their  chums 
l»ng  to  reach  that  part  of  the  slope  pointed  out 
by  Andy.  As  he  had  said,  this  was  much 
higher  than  the  spot  where  they  had  stood 
before  and  the  slope  was  much  steeper,  lead- 
ing directly  down  to  where  Werner,  Glutts, 
and  Codfish  were  now  busy  over  their  camp- 
fire  preparing  the  midday  meal. 

The  bully  and  his  cronies  were  good  feeders, 
and  had  brought  a  considerable  quantity  of 
food  for  their  lunch.  Some  of  this  was  now 
spread  out  on  a  napkin  resting  on  the  snow, 
and  the  rest  of  it  was  being  warmed  over  the 
campfiire. 

"It's  the  chance  of  our  lives,"  said  Randy 
softly.  "Come  on,  fellows,  let's  make  the  big- 
gest snowballs  we  can." 

All  of  the  others  were  willing,  and  soon 
they  had  rolled  six  snowballs,  ea/fch  of  which 
was  two  feet  or  more  in  diameter. 

230 


SIX  BIG  SNOWBALLS  231 

Of  course,  our  friends  were  well  out  of  sight 
of  those  in  the  hollow,  and  as  they  spoke  in 
low  tones  their  enemies  had  no  suspicion  of 
what  was  coming. 

"Now  then,  place  all  the  snowballs  in  a  line 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  slope,"  said  Jack. 
"And,  Gif,  you  give  the  word  when  we  are  to 
push  them  down." 

Soon  the  six  massive  snowballs  were  lined 
up  side  by  side.  Those  behind  them  looked 
below  to  make  sure  that  none  of  the  trio  was 
close  to  the  fire,  because  they  did  not  wish 
anybody  to  be  burnt. 

"Now  then,"  whispered  Gif  suddenly,  when 
he  saw  the  three  lads  sit  down  with  the  cooked 
stuff  between  them.  "All  ready?  Go!" 

Everybody  gave  a  shove,  and  over  the  edge 
of  the  slope  went  the  six  snowballs,  slowly  at 
first,  but  gradually  gathering  both  size  and 
speed.  Through  the  snow  they  rolled  and 
over  the  bare  rocks  until  almost  to  the  foot 
of  the  slope. 

"Hi!  what's  this  coming?"  roared  Glutts, 
happening  to  glance  around  as  a  strange  noise 
reached  his  ears. 

"It's  a  snowslide!"  screamed  Werner. 

"Oh,  oh!  let  me  get  out  of  the  way!" 
shrieked  Codfish. 


232  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

All  three  attempted  to  spring  to  their  feet, 
Glutts  knocking  over  a  pot  of  hot  coffee  as  he 
did  so.  But  the  movement  came  too  late,  for 
the  next  instant  the  six  snowballs  bowled  over 
the  three  boys,  hurling  them  in  all  directions. 
One  ball  rolled  through  the  lunch,  carrying 
most  of  this  along,  imbedded  in  the  snow.  An- 
other snowball  went  directly  through  the 
campfiire,  smashing  that  flat  and  leaving  the 
embers  hissing  and  blackened. 

"Don't  let  them  see  you,"  called  Jack,  as  the 
twins  were  about  to  dash  down  the  slope. 
"Get  back  there  out  of  sight." 

"Oh,  they'll  know  we  did  it,  all  right 
enough,"  answered  Spouter.  "Come  on  down 
and  have  it  out  with  them." 

This  was  what  the  majority  desired,  and  be- 
fore Glutts  and  the  others  could  recover  from 
their  astonishment  and  dismay  Gif  and  his 
crowd  were  down  the  slope. 

"Huh !  so  you  were  the  fellows  to  roll  those 
snowballs  down  on  us,"  growled  Bill  Glutts, 
as  he  rubbed  his  leg  where  some  of  the  hot 
coffee  had  been  spilled  upon  it. 

"That's  a  fine  way  to  treat  a  fellow,"  said 
Werner,  digging  some  snow  from  his  ear. 

"And  you  spoiled  all  the  lunch !"  wailec3 
Codfish,  looking  around  for  his  cap,  which  had 


SIX  BIG  SNOWBALLS  233 

been  knocked  off.  "Oh  dear!  I  wish  I  hadn't 
come  to  this  out-of-the-way  place !" 

"Shut  up  your  whining!"  roared  Werner. 
"You  make  me  sick!" 

"I  don't  care.  I  told  you  yesterday  I  wanted 
to  go  home,"  answered  Codfish  complain- 
ingly.  "I  hate  it  up  here !" 

"Well,  go  home  then!"  snapped  Werner. 
"Go  home  this  minute  if  you  want  to.  Fm 
sick  of  having  you  around." 

"You'd  do  much  better,  Codfish,  if  you 
wouldn't  train  with  fellows  like  Werner  and 
Glutts,"  remarked  Jack. 

"If  I  leave  them  will  you  fellows  show  me 
the  way  back  to  Timminsport  ?"  questioned 
the  sneak  of  Colby  Hall  pleadingly.  It  was 
plainly  to  be  seen  that  he  had  had  no  easy 
time  of  it  since  he  had  come  up  into  the 
woods. 

"That  depends,"  said  Gif,  and  caught  the 
youth  by  the  wrist.  "Tell  me,  Codfish,  were 
you  at  our  Lodge  the  other  day — the  day  the 
whole  place  was  rough-housed?" 

"No,  I  wasn't,  Gif.  Really  and  truly  I 
wasn't !"  cried  the  sneak,  in  alarm. 

"Were  Werner  and  Glutts  alone?" 

"Yes,  yes!     I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it!" 

"See  here,  Codfish,  you  keep  your  mouth 


234  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HVMT 

shut !"  roared  Glutts,  and  he  moved  forward  as 
if  to  strike  the  small  youth  who  cowered  be- 
fore him. 

"You  keep  your  distance,  Glutts,"  admon-» 
ished  Jack.  "If  Codfish  is  tired  of  staying  with 
you  fellows,  he's  going  to  leave,  and  you're  Hot 
to  say  anything  about  it." 

"What  right  had  you  fellows  to  smash  those 
snowballs  down  on  us?"  questioned  Werner, 
with  an  angry  look  in  his  eyes. 

"What  right  had  you  fellows  to  come  and 
upset  Cedar  Lodge,  destroying  some  of  ouf 
stores,  and  walking  off  with  some  of  the 
ethers?"  questioned  Jack  sternly. 

"We  didn't  walk  off  with  anything,"  an- 
swered Werner  quickly.  "What  we  did  we 
had  a  right  to  do — to  pay  you  back  for  what 
you  did  to  our  stores  in  the  sleigh." 

"We  didn't  take  any  of  your  things,"  put  in 
Fred  quickly;  "and  a  whole  lot  of  our  stuff  is 
Siissing." 

"We  didn't  take  a  thing  away — not  a  thing," 
put  in  Glutts,  and  he  smiled  grimly  to  himself 
as  he  spoke. 

"I  know  what  they  did!"  cried  Codfish 
quickly.  "If  you'll  take  me  along  with  yon, 
and  see  that  I  get  to  Timminsport  safely,  111 
tell  you  where  your  things  are." 


SIX  BIG  SNOWBALLS  235 

"You  say  a  word,  Codfish,  and  I'll  lamba»t« 
tlie  life  out  of  you!"  yelled  Werner. 

"You  won't  touch  Codfish!"  broke  in  Jack 
sturdily.  "And  if  he  wants  to  go  with  us,  he'H 
go." 

"I  wa»t  to  go !"  wailed  the  sneak.  "I  don't 
want  to  Stay  with  them  another  minute.  But 
how  am  I  to  get  my  things  that  are  up  at  their 
shack?"  be  questioned  helplessly. 

"Wei!  go  up  there  with  you,"  answered  Gif. 

A  war  of  words  followed,  and  then  in  un- 
controlled rage  Werner  and  Glutts  attacked 
Jack  and  Gif.  Half  a  dozen  blows  were  ex- 
changed, and  then  Glutts  attempted  to  run 
away  while  Werner  attempted  to  use  the  butt 
of  his  gun  as  a  club.  Andy  tripped  Glutts  up, 
and  Spouter  caught  Werner  from  behind,  and 
as  a  consequence  of  the  general  mix-up  the 
two  bullies  received  a  well-deserved  drubbing. 
Then  their  weapons  were  discharged  and  their 
ammunition  was  taken  away  from  them,  and 
they  were  told  to  march  back  to  Tony  DuvaFs 
shacks. 

Here,  as  they  expected,  our  friends  had  an-l 
other  set-to  with  the  French-Canadian.  Tony' 
Duval  wanted  to  take  sides  with  Werner  and 
.Glutts,  but  the  others  would  not  listen. 

"This  young  man  is  going  with  us,  and  he  is 


236  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

going  to  take  his  things  with  him,"  announced 
Gif,  pointing  to  Codfish.  "If  you  make  any 
trouble  for  us,  Duval,  I'll  at  once  notify  my 
father  and  my  uncle,  and  likewise  the  authori- 
ties at  Portview.  Your  reputation  around 
here  is  already  none  of  the  best,  and  I'll  see 
to  it  that  you  are  treated  as  you  deserve." 

"Bah !  what  do  I  care  for  you  or  your  father 
or  your  uncle?"  cried  Tony  Duval,  in  a  rage. 
"This  is  my  property.  You  will  leave  it  at 
once." 

"We'll  leave  when  this  young  man  has  his 
things,  and  not  before,"  answered  Jack,  and 
now  he,  too,  fingered  his  gun  in  a  suggestive 
manner. 

Tony  Duval  realized  that  he  was  outnum- 
bered and  that  the  boys  from  Cedar  Lodge- 
meant  business.  He  grumbled  a  good  deal 
and  talked  in  a  whisper  with  Werner  andi 
Glutts.  In  the  meanwhile,  Codfish  hurriedly 
gathered  together  his  few  belongings,  and 
presently  announced  that  he  was  ready  to 
leave. 

"Now,  one  thing  more,"  said  Gif,  turning  to 
the  two  bullies.  "Don't  you  dare  to  show 
your  faces  anywhere  near  Cedar  Lodge  again. 
If  you  come  on  our  property,  you  come  at  your 
own  peril." 


SIX  BIG  SNOWBALLS  237 

"Oh,  you  don't  know  how  to  take  a  joke," 
grumbled  Glutts. 

"We'll  do  as  we  please,"  added  Werner,  but 
it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  he  was  much 
disturbed. 

The  boys  were  about  ready  to  leave  the 
shack  when  they  heard  the  sound  of  sleigh 
bells,  and  soon  a  two-seated  sleigh  came  into 
sight  drawn  by  a  pair  of  powerful  horses.  The 
turnout  drove  directly  to  the  front  of  the 
shack  occupied  by  Tony  Duval. 

"Hello!  there  are  those  men  again,"  cried 
.Gif. 

All  looked  and  saw  that  he  referred  to  the 
Germans  they  had  met  on  the  road  when  look- 
ing for  Cedar  Lodge.  The  newcomers  paid  no 
attention  to  them,  but  leaped  out  of  the  sleigh 
and  entered  the  Duval  shack. 

"I  must  go,"  said  Tony  Duval  abruptly. 
"And  I  want  you  to  go,  too,  and  never  come 
back  here  again,"  he  added,  and  then  hurried 
away. 

"Who  are  those  men?"  questioned  Jack, 
turning  to  Werner  and  Glutts. 

"That's  none  of  your  business,"  answered 
Werner  sourly.  "You  clear  out  of  here  and 
never  come  back." 

There  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  to  leave  the 


238  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

premises,  yet  the  Rovers  and  their  chums  were 
curious  to  know  who  the  Germans  were  an4 
what  their  errand  to  Tony  Duval's  shack  could 
be.  Yet  they  had  no  excuse  for  lingering 
longer,  so  presently  they  took  their  departure, 
Werner  and  Glutts  looking  sourly  after  them 
as  they  walked  away. 

"Do  you  know,  I'd  give  a  good  deal  to  know 
more  about  those  Germans,"  remarked  Jack, 
as  they  trudged  along.  "I  wonder  what  they 
want  here?  They  can't  be  hunters,  because 
they  haven't  any  hunting  outfits." 

"They  certainly  couldn't  be  up  here  for 
business,"  returned  Spouter,  "because  there  is 
no  business  to  speak  of  in  this  vicinity.  Why, 
there  isn't  even  a  farm  or  a  farmer  around 
here,  and  the  nearest  logging  camp  is  miles 
away,  so  they  told  me  at  Heiwyville." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  we  might  do,"  said  Gif. 
"We  might  pass  into  the  woods  and  then  turn 
around  and  come  back  again  up  behind  Tony 
Duval's  shack.  We  can  watch  and  see  what 
the  Germans  do,  and  maybe  we'll  hear  what 
they  and  Duval  have  to  say." 

"That's  an  idea !"  cried  Jack.  "I  don't  know 
but  wkat  we  had  better  act  on  it." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

A  CONVERSATION  OF  IMPORTANCE 

"Do  YOU  know  anything  about  those  Ger- 
mans ?"  questioned  Fred,  turning  to  Codfish. 

"I  know  they  came  to  see  Tony  Duval  once 
or  twice  before,"  answered  the  sneak  of  Colby 
Hall.  "They  and  Duval  seem  to  have  some 
secret  business  between  them." 

"Do  you  know  what  it  is?"  asked  Jack. 

At  this  Codfish  shook  his  head. 

"Did  Werner  and  Glutts  have  anything  to 
do  with  it  ?"  came  from  Gif. 

"They  went  to  Duval's  cabin  once  when 
the  Germans  were  there.  I  asked  to  go  along, 
but  they  wouldn't  let  me.  After  that  Bill  and 
Gabe  took  some  kind  of  a  message  down  to 
Timminsport  for  them.  It  was  on  their  way 
hack  from  the  town  that  they  stopped  and 
made  a  mess  of  things  at  your  Lodge.  They 
were  laughing  and  joking  about  it  when  they 
got  back,  and  that  is  how  I  know  what  took 
plaee." 


240  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"You  said  you  would  tell  us  where  the 
things  that  were  taken  away  are,"  came  from 
Spouter. 

"They  are  all  in  the  barn  under  the  hay — 
Jat  least  that  is  what  Bill  and  Gabe  said.  They 
took  'em  out  there  in  one  of  the  bed  sheets." 

"I  guess  that's  right,"  came  quickly  from 
Gif.  "I  noticed  that  one  of  the  sheets  was 
missing." 

They  had  now  reached  the  shelter  of  the 
forest,  and  here,  after  a  little  talk,  it  was  de- 
cided that  the  twins  and  Fred  should  return 
to  Cedar  Lodge  at  once,  taking  Codfish  with 
them,  while  Jack,  Gif,  and  Spouter  took  a 
roundabout  course  leading  to  the  rear  of  Tony 
Duval's  shack. 

"We've  got  to  be  careful,"  announced  Jack. 
"For  all  we  know,  those  Germans  may  be  des- 
perate characters." 

"And  on  the  other  hand  they  may  be  the 
most  innocent  fellows  in  the  world,"  added 
Spouter.  "Remember,  not  all  the  German- 
Americans  in  this  country  are  unpatriotic." 
!  The  three  soon  reached  a  point  where  they 
could  catch  sight  of  Duval's  shack.  They  ap- 
proached with  caution  so  that  they  might  not 
be  seen  from  the  single  back  window  of  which 
the  rough  building  boasted.  As  the  boys 


A  CONVERSATION  OF  IMPORTANCE      241 

drew  closer  they  saw  that  the  window  had 
been  raised  several  inches.  Evidently  there 
was  a  good  fire  going  inside  of  the  shack,  and 
with  so  many  occupants  the  place  had  become 
overly  warm. 

"Then  it's  all  settled,  and  you'll  attend  to  the 
matter?"  they  heard  one  of  the  Germans  re- 
mark, as  they  crawled  up  close  to  the  building* 

"Yes,  I'll  do  it,"  answered  Tony  DuvaL 
"But  I'll  be  running  a  big  risk." 

"Not  if  you  are  careful  "  said  another  of  the 
Germans. 

"And  don't  forget  that  you  are  being  well 
paid  for  your  work,"  added  a  third  German, 
"and  that  you  are  doing  this  for  the  country; 
in  which  your  mother  was  born." 

"I  should  not  want  to  be  caught,"  grumbled 
Tony  Duval.  "If  I  was,  the  authorities  might 
hang  me." 

"Poof!  be  not  so  chicken-hearted,"  said  the 
German  who  had  first  spoken.  "Now  it  is  all 
arranged,  be  careful  that  you  do  not  disap- 
point us,"  he  added  sternly. 

The  three  cadets  had  listened  to  this  talk 
with  intense  interest.  Now  Jack  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  peer  in  at  one  corner 
of  the  window.  He  saw  one  of  the  Germans 
returning  a  wallet  to  his  pocket,  and  saw  Tony 


24*  THE  ROVES.  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Duval  take  up  several  bank  bills  from  the  table 
and  place  them  away  in  his  hunting  jacket. 
All  of  the  Germans  were  on  their  feet,  and 
now  turned  to  the  door,  which  one  of  them 
flung  wide  open. 

"It's  all  over ;  get  back  as  far  as  you  can  to 
the  woods,"  whispered  the  oldest  Rover  boy, 
and  led  the  way  with  the  others  at  his  heels., 

When  the  cadets  gained  the  shelter  of  the 
trees  they  saw  the  Germans  get  into  the  sleigh 
once  more,  and  a  few  seconds  later  they  drove 
away,  Tony  Duval  watching  their  departure. 

"Now  what  do  you  make  of  that,  Jack?" 
questioned  Gif.  His  face  showed  that  he  was 
puzzled. 

"It  looks  to  me  as  if  those  fellows  were  up 
to  no  good,"  returned  Jack. 

"Did  you  notice  what  they  said  about  Tony 
Duval's  mother?"  cried  Spouter.  "That 
seemed  to  me  as  if  his  mother  might  have 
been  a  German  woman." 

"That's  the  way  I  took  it,  too,"  returned 
Jack.  "And  then,  don't  forget  what  Duval 
said — that  the  authorities  might  hang  him  if 
he  was  caught.  That  sounds  as  if  they  were 
asking  him  to  do  something  which  was  against 
the  law." 

"Yes,  and  a  big  crime  at  that,"  put  in  Gif. 


243 

"I  wonder  where  the  Germans  live?" 

"Most  likely  at  a  distance.  Otherwise  they 
wouldn't  be  using  a  sleigh." 

"We  ought  to  look  into  this,  and  without 
delay,"  said  Jack  decidedly. 

"Let  us  make  it  our  business  to  find  out  all 
about  the  Germans  to-morrow,"  said  Gif.  And 
so  it  was  decided. 

When  the  three  arrived  at  Cedar  Lodge 
they  found  the  others  were  already  there  and 
had  uncovered  the  goods  hidden  by  Glutts  and 
Werner  under  the  hay  in  the  barn.  There  they 
likewise  found  the  bedsheet  and  the  blanket  which 
had  previously  been  taken. 

"Well,  anyway,  they  didn't  rob  us,"  was 
Randy's  comment. 

"I  guess  they  were  afraid  to  do  that,"  an- 
swered his  twin.  "They  thought  we  might 
bring  the  law  down  on  them." 

"I  don't  like  those  fellows  any  more,  and  I 
intend  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  'em," 
said  Codfish. 

"I  guess  they  got  you  up  here  simply  to 
make  you  toady  to  them." 

"That's  what  they  did,  Andy.  They  made 
me  carry  all  the  things  for  'em,  and  made  me 
cut  the  wood  and  wash  the  dishes  and  every- 
thing. I  was  a  big  fool  to  leave  home,  where 


"344  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

I  might  have  had  a  splendid  time  during  the 
holidays." 

That  evening  came  the  first  real  drawback 
of  the  outing.  In  returning  from  the  barn 
Spouter  slipped  on  some  ice  and  fell  down 
with  his  foot  under  him.  When  he  got  up  he 
found  that  his  ankle  was  sprained,  so  that  he 
could  scarcely  walk  upon  it.  The  others  as- 
sisted him  into  the  bungalow  and  did  what 
they  could  to  make  him  comfortable. 

"I  guess  I'll  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  two," 
grumbled  Spouter.  "But  this  will  prevent  me 
from  going  out  with  you  to-morrow  to  find  out 
about  those  Germans." 

"Well,  anyway,  Spouter,  you'll  have  Cod- 
fish here  to  keep  you  company,  and  I'm  sure 
he'll  be  glad  enough  to  get  something  to  eat 
for  you,"  said  Jack. 

"I'll  do  that  willingly  if  only  you  won't  call 
me  Codfish  any  more,"  pleaded  the  cadet 
mentioned. 

"All  right,  Henry.  We'll  have  to  call  you 
by  your  right  name  after  this."  And  at  this 
the  sneak  of  the  school  seemed  much  relieved. 
Secretly,  he  hated  the  nickname  of  Codfish 
exceedingly. 

Early  in  the  morning  came  a  surprise.  The 
boys  heard  a  well-known  whistle  and  beheld 


A  CONVERSATION  OF  IMPORTANCE      245 

jjed  Wallop  approaching,  this  time  on  foot. 
The  old  hunter  had  his  gun  with  him. 

"Thought  I'd  make  a  day  of  it  with  you," 
he  announced.  "That  is,  unless  you've  some 
other  plans." 

"We  were  thinking  of  coming  over  to  your 
place,"  answered  Jack.  "We  want  to  get 
some  information." 

"All  right.  I'm  the  walkin'  dictionary  and 
cyclopaedia  of  this  hull  district,"  answered  Jed 
Wallop,  with  a  grin.  "Go  on  and  fire  all  the 
questions  at  me  that  you  want  to." 

The  old  hunter  listened  with  interest  to 
what  the  cadets  had  to  say  concerning  the 
Germans  and  Tony  Duval,  and  also  about  the 
message  Glutts  and  Werner  had  carried  to 
Timminsport  for  the  strangers. 

"That  don't  look  right  to  me,  at  all,"  he 
said,  shaking  his  head  gravely.  "I've  seen 
them  Germans  a  few  times  myself,  drivin* 
around  in  that  big  sleigh  of  theirn.  Some- 
times there's  only  two  of  'em,  and  then  agin 
the  four  are  in  a  bunch.  Someone  once  told 
me  that  Duval  had  German  blood  in  his  veins, 
and  I  guess  that's  right." 

"And  I'm  sure  Glutts  is  German,  and  maybe 
Werner  too,"  said  Randy. 

"My  idee  is  that  them  Germans  are  holdin* 


246  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

out  at  an  old  house  up  River  Bend  way.  It 
was  the  old  Parkingham  estate,  but  it  hasn't 
been  used  for  years.  It's  a  mighty  lonely 
place,  too,  right  in  the  midst  of  the  woods." 

"How  far  is  that  from  here?"  questioned 
Fred. 

"About  three  miles,  I  should  say." 

"Is  there  a  pretty  good  road?"  questioned 
Jack. 

"The  way  by  the  mountain  road  would  be 
all  of  five  miles.  But  I  know  a  fair  trail 
through  the  woods  that  we  might  take." 

"Then  let's  get  there  as  soon  as  possible!" 
cried  Gif.  "Will  you  go  with  us,  Jed  ?" 

"O'  course  I  will!  If  them  Germans  are 
traitors  to  this  country,  or  anything  like  that, 
I  want  to  know  it,"  answered  the  old  hunter 
decidedly.  "I'm  too  old  to  enlist  for  the  war, 
but  I  ain't  too  old  to  do  my  duty  by  Uncle 
Sam." 

"We  might  combine  business  with  pleas- 
ure," remarked  Jack.  "We  can  take  our  guns 
and  game  bags,  and  also  a  substantial  lunch. 
Then  if  we  see  any  signs  of  game  going  or 
coming,  we  can  take  our  time  about  getting 
back  here." 

"One  thing  that  brought  me  over  was  this," 
went  on  Jed  Wallop.  "I  heard  one  of  you 


247 

young  fellers  sayin'  you  wanted  to  get  a  crack 
at  a  silver  fox.  Well,  I  know  a  holler  about 
two  miles  from  here  where  quite  a  few  foxes 
are  hangin'  out.  I've  heard  'em  barkin' 
around  there  more  than  once.  I  saw  a  silver 
fox  up  that  way,  too,  and  if  he  shows  himself 
you  might  git  what  you  are  wishin'  fer." 

"Fine !"  exclaimed  Jack,  with  enthusiasm. 
"But  is  that  hang-out  of  the  foxes  on  the  way 
to  the  old  mansion  you  mentioned?" 

"No,  it  ain't.  But  we  might  work  around 
that  way  cornin'  back." 

A  substantial  lunch  was  prepared  and 
packed,  and  then,  after  seeing  to  it  that  their 
guns  were  in  good  order,  the  five  cadets  and 
Jed  Wallop  left  the  Lodge. 

"Mighty  sorry  I  can't  go  along,"  said 
Spouter  dolefully.  "However,  I  wish  you  all 
the  best  of  luck,  not  only  in  getting  some  in- 
formation about  those  Germans,  but  also  in 
locating  the  foxes." 

"And  you  can  depend  on  me  taking  good 
care  of  Dick,"  said  Henry  Stowell. 

"All  right,  Henry,"  answered  Gif;  for  he 
and  all  of  the  others  had  been  told  how  Cod- 
fish hated  his  nickname,  and  they  had  decided 
to  do  what  they  could  toward  dropping  it,  al- 
though, as  Andy  had  remarked,  "It  might  be 


248  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

pretty  hard  to  stop  calling  a  donkey  a  donkey 
all  the  time." 

"We'll  give  the  little  sneak  a  chance  to  turn 
over  a  new  leaf,"  was  what  Jack  had  said  in 
return.  "I  don't  believe  Codfish  is  bad  at 
heart — he's  only  been  traveling  in  the  wrong 
company." 

It  was  a  fair  day  with  the  sun  coming  up 
clearly  over  the  treetops.  It  was  still  intensely 
cold,  but  there  was  little  or  no  wind,  for  which 
the  lads  were  thankful. 

"I  suppose  you  have  thinned  out  the  game 
a  good  deal  right  around  this  Lodge,"  re- 
marked Jed  Wallop.  "You  know  rabbits  and 
squirrels  don't  like  to  hear  the  bangin'  of  a 
gun.  They  know  mighty  well  it  spells  trouble  fer 
'em." 

A  mile  was  covered  before  they  sighted  any- 
thing that  looked  like  game.  Then  a  big  fat 
rabbit  ran  directly  across  their  path.  To  give 
the  boys  a  chance,  Jed  Wallop  did  not  fire,  and 
as  a  consequence  the  bunny  got  away,  none  of 
the  cadets  being  quick  enough  to  get  a  shot 
at  it: 

"You've  got  to  have  your  eyes  open  if  you 
want  to  lay  low  all  the  game  in  these  woods/' 
chuckled  the  old  hunter. 

"He  was  too  close  to  us,"  grumbled  Gif. 


A  CONVERSATION  OF  IMPORTANCE      249 

"Why,  he  was  out  of  sight  before  I  could  think 
of  raising  my  gun !" 

"You  mustn't  think,  Gif.  Jest  fire  and  let 
it  go  at  that,"  and  Jed  Wallop  grinned  broadly. 
He  was  a  man  who  loved  company,  and  he 
thought  it  great  sport  to  be  out  isi  the  woods 
with  the  cadets. 

After  this  they  trudged  along  in  silence, 
each  of  the  lads  keeping  his  eyes  wide  open 
for  the  possible  appearance  of  any  game.  But 
nothing  came  to  view. 

"Now  we'll  soon  be  in  sight  of  that  old 
house,"  announced  Jed  Wallop  presently. 
"It's  on  the  other  side  of  this  hill." 

They  topped  the  rise,  and  there  saw  before 
them  a  small  clearing,  beyond  which  was  a 
rough  mountain  road.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  road  was  a  thick  patch  of  timber,  and  in 
the  midst  of  this  stood  a  long  low  house  with 
a  wide  veranda  in  front. 

"There  is  the  Parkingham  house,"  said  Jed 
Wallop.  "And  unless  I'm  greatly  mistaken 
that's  where  them  Germans  are  hangin'  out." 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS 

"WE  don't  want  anyone  to  see  us,"  remarked 
Jack,  as  they  came  to  a  halt  on  the  edge  of  the 
clearing. 

"Oh,  them  Germans  won't  know  but  wh«,t 
you're  simply  out  huntin',"  answered  Jed  Wal- 
lop. 

Nevertheless,  the  boys  were  anxious  to  ap- 
proach the  old  house  unobserved,  and  so 
skirted  the  clearing  and  crossed  the  mountain 
road,  which  at  this  point  was  lined  with  thick 
pines.  Then  they  entered  the  forest  again, 
coming  up  presently  at  a  point  in  the  rear  of 
the  building  where  there  was  a  small  barn  and 
also  several  sheds. 

The  Parkingham  house  was  a  rambling 
structure  which  had  seen  better  days.  One 
end  sagged,  and  here  a  porch  post  had  fallen 
away,  along  with  several  steps.  But  the 
other  end  of  the  long  building  had  evidently 
been  put  in  some  kind  of  repair,  for  some 

ago 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS  251 

boards  on  the  piazza  were  new,  as  were  also 
several  window  sashes.  All  the  curtains  were 
drawn  down. 

"Somebody  mast  be  living  here,"  remarked 
Randy.  "Otherwise  they  wouldn't  have  gone" 
to  the  trouble  and  expense  of  making  repairs.*" 

They  looked  around  the  old  house  carefully, 
but  could  see  nobody.  Then  they  peered  into 
the  barn. 

"No  horses  here,"  announced  Gif.  "And 
that  big  sleigh  isn't  here  either." 

"Then,  if  those  Germans  live  here,  they 
must  be  away  on  a  trip,"  remarked  Jack  after  a 
pause. 

"I  don't  see  anything  suspicious  around  this 
place,"  said  Andy. 

The  barn  showed  signs  of  use,  and  so  did 
the  other  outbuildings,  and  there  were  numer- 
ous tracks  in  the  snow  leading  from  the  barti 
to  the  house.  At  the  well  some  water  had 
been  spilled,  and  this  had  not  yet  had  time  to 
freeze. 

"They  can't  have  gone  away  so  very  long 
ago,"  was  Gif's  comment.  He  turned  to  the) 
others.  "Well,  what's  the  next  move?" 

"I  don't  see  why  you  don't  walk  right  up 
and  knock  on  the  door,  and  if  them  fellers  are 
around  have  a  talk  with  'em,"  declared  Jed 


252  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Wallop.  "If  they  are  above  board,  they  won't 
hesitate  about  answerin'  questions." 

"Let  us  wait  around  the  barn  for  a  while 
and  see  if  anybody  comes  in  or  goes  out,"  sug- 
gested Jack.  He  could  not  get  it  out  of  his 
mind  how  queerly  the  Germans  had  acted,  and 
he  felt  certain  that  something  was  wrong  and 
that  the  fellows  ought  to  be  reported  to  the 
authorities. 

"Gee!  it's  rather  cold  around  here,"  re- 
marked Fred,  as  they  walked  up  and  down  in 
the  big  barn  to  keep  warm. 

"I'm  going  to  cover  myself  in  the  hay  if 
you  fellows  are  going  to  stay  here  any  length 
of  time,"  cried  Andy,  and  in  a  playful  mood  he 
and  his  twin  made  a  dash  for  what  looked  to 
be  a  large  quantity  of  hay  at  one  side  of  the 
barn.  Both  burrowed  down  in  this,  and  then 
Randy  set  up  a  cry  of  surprise. 

"Hello!  this  isn't  a  pile  of  hay  at  all.  It's 
bundles  of  wire!" 

"Bundles  of  wire?"  queried  Jack. 

"What  kind  of  wire  ?"  asked  Gif. 

"Looks  like  fence  wire,  or  telegraph  wire,  to 
me,"  said  Andy,  who  was  holding  some  of  the 
hay  to  one  side  so  that  he  might  get  a  better 
look  at  what  was  underneath.  "It  looks  brand 
new,  too." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS  253 

There  were  numerous  coils  of  the  wire,  and 
these  the  cadets  and  Jed  Wallop  looked  at  with 
interest.  Then  they  found  several  packing" 
cases,  all  nailed  up  tightly  and  marked  in 
English  and  in  German. 

"This  is  certainly  queer,"  said  Jack. 

"Say,  what's  the  matter  with  opening  one 
or  two  of  the  cases  and  seeing  what's  in  'em?'*" 
suggested  Fred. 

"Have  we  any  right  to  do  that?"  asked  Gif 
doubtfully. 

"We'll  take  the  right,"  decided  Jack.  "I'm 
satisfied  that  those  fellows  are  up  to  no  good. 
You  know  what  Tony  Duval  said  when  theyf 
asked  him  to  do  something." 

Not  far  from  the  barn  was  a  woodshed,  and 
here  the  cadets  procured  an  axe  and  a  ham- 
mer. With  these  implements  they  managed 
to  pry  open  one  of  the  packing  cases.  Inside 
was  what  looked  to  be  electrical  machinery, 
but  just  what  it  was  they  could  not  make  out. 

"Looks  like  that  telephone  or  telegraph  line 
all  right  enough,"  remarked  Randy.  "But 
what  are  those  fellows  going  to  do  with  any 
such  line  as  that  away  up  here?" 

"It's  a  riddle,  ain't  it?"  remarked  Jed  Wal- 
lop. "Jest  the  same,  that  stuff  looks  mighty 
suspicious  to  me." 


They  continued  their  investigation,  and  be- 
hind the  packing  cases  found  some  machinery. 
All  of  it  was  new  and  strange  to  them. 

"If  they're  got  so  much  queer  stuff  out  here 
in  the  barn,  how  much  more  do  you  suppose 
they've  got  in  the  house?"  questioned  Fred. 

"If  I  was  sure  no  one  was  at  home  I'd  be 
strongly  tempted  to  find  a  way  inside  and  take 
a  look  around,"  said  Jack. 

"Come  ahead  and  do  it!"  burst  out  Randy. 
"I  don't  believe  there's  a  soul  around." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,"  said  Jack  finally. 
"You  keep  out  of  sight,  and  I'll  go  out  on  the* 
road  and  walk  toward  the  house  and  knock  on 
the  door.  Then,  if  anybody  comes,  I'll  say 
that  I'm  out  hunting  and  would  like  to  buy  a 
bit  to  eat.  They  can't  refuse  me  a  bite,  and 
that  will  give  me  a  little  chance  to  look  around 
while  I'm  inside." 

"I  don't  think  you  ought  to  go  alone,"  said 

Gif.     "They  know  there  are  a  bunch  of  us  at 

the  Lodge  and  they  would  be  rather  suspicious 

1  if  you  were  by  yourself.    Why  not  let  me  go 

with  you?" 

So  it  was  arranged,  and,  leaving  the  others 
hidden  in  the  barn,  the  two  cadets  started  to 
walk  through  the  woods  to  the  road. 

"Keep  your  guns  with  you,"  advised  Jed 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS  255 

Wallop.  "And  if  you  git  into  anything  like  a 
tight  place,  shoot  off  one  of  the  guns  as  a 
signal  and  we'll  be  to  the  rescue  in  no  time.'* 

The  two  boys  were  soon  out  on  the  lonely 
mountain  road,  and  then  they  headed  for  the 
old  house.  Boldly  mounting  the  main  piazza., 
they  knocked  sharply  on  the  door. 

At  first  there  was  no  response,  and  the  lads 
were  just  congratulating  themselves  on  the 
fact  that  the  premises  were  deserted  when 
they  heard  shuffli»g  footsteps.  Then  came 
the  tremulous  voice  of  an  elderly  woman 
speaking  in  broken  English. 

"Who  ist  der  ?    Vat  you  vants  ?" 

"We  are  a  couple  of  boys  out  hunting,"  an- 
swered Jack.  "We  would  like  to  know  if  we 
can  buy  something  to  eat." 

"I  haf  nodings  for  you.  You  besser  go 
somevhere  else." 

"Can't  we  come  in  and  get  warm?"  asked 
Gif. 

"Nein.    You  go  avay." 

"Who  lives  here?"  questioned  Jack  loudly, 
for  the  woman  had  made  no  attempt  to  open 
the  door. 

"Dis  ist  Mister  Bauermann's  house.** 

"Is  he  in?  I'd  like  very  much  to  speak  to 
him.  I  am  sure  he  would  let  us  have  some- 


356  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

thing  to  eat,"  went  on  Jack  in  the  smoothest  tone 
he  could  command. 

"Do  you  know  Mister  Bauermann?"  ques- 
tioned the  woman  cautiously. 

"Isn't  he  the  gentleman  who  has  been  rid- 
ing around  here  in  his  sleigh  with  two  or  threq 
other  men?"  asked  Gif.  "If  he  is,"  he  con- 
tinued, "we  have  met  him  near  my  father's 
place." 

"I  think  you  might  at  least  let  us  have  a 
little  to  eat.  We're  willing  to  pay  well  for  it," 
broke  in  Jack.  "Just  a  little  bread  and  butter, 
and  maybe  a  cup  of  hot  coffee  or  tea  if  you 
have  it." 

"I  can't  open  de  door  for  you,"  said  the 
woman  firmly.  "Mister  Bauermann  he  gifs 
orders  not  to  let  anypody  in  de  house.  You  haf 
to  go  avay  unt  get  somedings  to  eat  some- 
vhere  else." 

"When  do  you  expect  Mr.  Bauermann 
back?"  asked  Gif. 

"Dot  I  can't  say.  Maybe  he  was  come  back 
by  dinner  time,  tint  maybe  not  bis  night." 

"All  right  then,  we'll  go.  But  I  think  you 
are  rather  mean  not  to  sell  us  something  to 
eat,"  said  Jack. 

To  this  the  woman  did  not  make  any  reply, 
tmt  they  heard  her  fumbling  at  the  door,  evi- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS 


257 


dently  making  certain  that  the  lock  and  bolt 
were  secure. 

As  there  seemed  nothing  else  to  do,  the  two 
cadets  retired,  and,  feeling  that  the  woman 
must  be  watching  them  from  behind  the 
tightly  drawn  curtains  at  the  windows,  walked 
on  down  the  rough  road  until  a  bend  hid  the 
house  from  view.  Then  they  came  up  through 
the  woods  again  and  rejoined  those  at  the 
barn. 

"Well,  we  found  out  one  thing,  anyway," 
declared  Jack.  "There  is  a  woman  keeping 
guard  in  the  house,  and  the  menfolks  are  all 
away  and  won't  be  back  until  noon  or  to- 
night." 

"Evidently  those  chaps  are  very  secretive," 
said  Gif.  "I  agree  with  Jack  that  the  whole 
thing  looks  mighty  suspicious." 

"Do  you  intend  to  wait  around  here  until 
those  Germans  come  back  ?"  asked  Fred  a  bit  im- 
patiently. 

"Why  not  go  out  on  a  hunt  and  come  back 
later?"  suggested  Randy. 

"That's  the  talk !"  broke  in  Andy.  "I'm  get- 
ting tired  of  hanging  around  here  doing  noth- 
ing." To  him  it  had  been  a  long  wait  while 
the  others  had  gone  to  the  house. 

"I  suppose  we  might  as  well  go  on  a  hunt," 


258  TME  ROVER  BOYS  OH  A  HUNT 

announced  Gif.     "Anyway,  I'm  willing  to  da 
whatever  the  others  say." 

So  it  was  decided  that  they  should  go  off  on 
a  hunt,  to  return  to  the  house  either  later  that 
day  or  else  on  the  day  following.  This  suited 
Jed  Wallop,  for  the  old  hunter  did  not  feel  in 
the  humor  for  investigating  the  old  mansion 
or  the  Germans  staying  there. 

"Come  on,  come  on,"  said  he,  "and  maybe 
we'll  git  a  chance  at  a  fox  or  two." 

"Now  you're  saying  something  f"  cried 
Fred. 

Leaving  the  old  Parkingham  house  and  out- 
buildings behind,  they  struck  off  through  the 
woods,  crossed  the  mountain  road  and  a  small 
frozen-up  watercourse,  and  then  mounted  one 
of  the  hills  lying  to  the  northwest  of  Cedar 
Lodge.  Here  they  found  traveling  rather 
difficult,  and  more  than  once  the  old  hunter 
said  he  wished  they  were  on  snowshoes. 

"Purty  hard  to  use  'em  at  first,"  said  he. 
"But  after  a  while  travelin'  that  way  gits  to  be 
as  easy  as  the  reg'lar  way." 
t  "Oh,  we  know  something  about  snow- 
shoes,"  said  Jack".  "But  we  didn't  think  we'd 
need  any  on  this  trip." 

They  tramped  around  for  the  rest  of  the 
forenoon,  managing  to  stir  up  several  rabbits, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOODS  259 

and  also  a  partridge,  which  Fred  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  bring  down.  Then  they  built 
a  small  campfire  and  made  themselves  a  pot 
of  hot  chocolate  and  had  this  with  the  lunch 
they  had  brought  along. 

The  middle  of  the  afternoon  found  them  in 
the  location  Jed  Wallop  had  had  in  mind  when 
speaking  of  foxes.  The  old  hunter  told 
ail  of  them  to  be  on  the  alert. 

"You  know  Mr.  Fox  ain't  goin'  to  stand 
still  to  be  shot  at,"  said  he  quizzically.  "As 
soon  as  he  spots  you  he'll  be  off  quicker  than 
greased  lightning." 

They  advanced  with'  caution,  and  had  hardly 
proceeded  a  hundred  yards  when  Jed  Wallop 
suddenly  put  up  his  hand  for  silence.  They 
were  coming  to  a  series  of  rocks,  and  beyond 
this  was  a  small  clearing,  backed  up  by  brush- 
wood still  thickly  covered  with  snow.  They 
looked  over  toward  this  brushwood  in  the  di- 
rection which  Jed  Wallop  pointed  out,  and 
there  saw  a  fox  standing  on  a  high  rock,  gaz- 
ing expectantly  at  the  woods  beyond. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

WHAT  THE  BIG  BARN  CONTAINED 

"THERE'S  your  chance/'  whispered  Wallop 
to  the  cadets.  "Quick,  now;  or  he  may  leap 
away  before  you  can  say  Jack  Robinson." 

"Go  ahead,  Gif,"  said  Jack  quickly,  for  he 
felt  that  their  host  should  have  the  first  chance 
to  shoot. 

There  was  no  time  to  argue  the  matter,  and, 
raising  his  gun,  Gif  took  hasty  air  and  fired. 
His  aim  was  not  of  the  best,  for  only  a  few 
of  the  scattering  shot  pierced  the  fox's  side. 
The  animal  wheeled  around  in  evident  as- 
tonishment, and  for  a  second  did  not  know 
which  way  to  escape. 

"Fire  at  him !  Fire  at  him !"  called  out  Jed 
Wallop  quickly.  "Fire,  or  he'll  git  away." 

This  time  all  of  the  others  blazed  away, 
one  after  another.  Several  of  the  charges 
went  wild,  but  Randy  managed  to  catch  the 
fox  directly  in  the  shoulder,  and  he  leaped 
high  in  the  air,  and  then  came  down,  flotmder- 
260 


WHAT  THE  BIG  BARN  CONTAINED       261 

ing  around  and  kicking  the  loose  snow  in  all 
directions. 

"Hurrah!     We've  got  him!"  cried  Randy. 

"Mebbe  you  have  and  mebbe  you  haven't," 
answered  Jed  Wallop.  Better  run  in  and 
finish  him." 

Gif  was  the  first  to  do  this,  and  a  final 
charge  caused  the  fox  to  cease  his  struggles. 

"A  purty  good-sized  animal,"  remarked  the 
old  hunter,  when  they  were  inspecting  it. 
"That  skin  is  worth  some  money." 

The  old  hunter  said  he  would  carry  the  dead 
fox  for  them,  and  again  they  went  forward. 
They  spent  the  best  part  of  the  afternoon 
looking  for  more  foxes,  but  in  this  they  were 
disappointed.  However,  deep  in  the  woods 
they  came  upon  a  covey  of  partridges.  All 
banged  away  at  a  lively  rate,  and  had  the  satis- 
faction of  killing  three  of  the  birds. 

"A  pretty  good  haul,  after  all,"  remarked 
Fred,  with  satisfaction. 

"Don't  you  think  it  about  time  that  we  re- 
turned to  that  old  Parkingham  house?"  ques- 
tioned Jack,  after  the  game  had  been  placed 
in  their  bags. 

"We  might  as  well  work  around  that  way," 
answered  Gif.  "Remember,  we'll  have  quite 
a  tramp  after  that  getting  back  to  the  Lodge." 


362  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

They  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  old 
house  in  the  woods  and  on  their  way  kept 
their  eyes  open  for  more  game.  But  all  they 
sighted  were  two  small  squirrels,  and  these 
they  thought  not  worth  shooting  at. 

They  were  just  about  to  cross  the  mountain 
road  not  far  from  the  old  house  when  they 
heard  a  pair  of  horses  hitched  to  a  long  box- 
sied  approaching.  The  sled  was  piled  high 
with  several  boxes  and  three  bales  of  hay. 

"Get  back !"  cried  Jack  quickly.  "That  may 
be  one  of  those  Germans  coming,  and  I  don't 
think  it  would  be  wise  to  let  him  see  us." 

They  stepped  Behind  some  trees  and  brush- 
wood, and  soon  the  boxsled  came  closer.  Then 
another  surprise  awaited  them,  for  the  driver 
of  the  sled,  who  was  alone,  was  ne«»e  other 
than  the  farmer  they  had  rescued  from  the 
burning  railroad  car. 

"It's  that  fellow  Grouse,"  whispered  GIL 
"What  do  you  know  about  that  ?" 

"Shall  we  go  out  and  speak  to  him?"  ques- 
tioned Andy. 

"I  don't  see  that  it  would  do  any  harm," 
said  Jack.  "We  have  a  perfect  right  to  be  out 
hunting  in  this  neighborhood." 

Accordingly  they  stepped  out  in  the  road- 
way almost  directly  in  front  of  the  oncoming 


WHAT  THE  BIG  BARN  CONTAINED       263 

boxsted.  The  driver,  who  was  crouched  down 
with  the  big  collar  of  his  overcoat  turned  up 
around  his  ears,  had  evidently  been  in  deep 
thought,  for  when  he  noticed  them  he 
straightened  up  in  surprise  and  brought  his 
team  to  a  sudden  halt. 

"Why,  if  it  isn't  our  friend  from  the  rail- 
road train !"  remarked  Jack,  with  a  smile. 

"Well,  I  never  \'\ declared  Herman  Grouse, 
with  a  momentary  look  of  pleasure  on  his  face. 
"How  did  you  young  gentlemen  get  up  here  ?" 
And  then,  of  a  sudden,  a  cloud  came  over  his 
features. 

"Can't  you  see  we're  out  hunting?"  an- 
swered Fred,  pointing  to  the  guns  and  game  ii> 
their  bags. 

"Yes,  yes!  To  be  sure!  I  forgot  that  you 
came  up  here  to  go  hunting.  Have  you  had" 
much  success?" 

"A  little,"  answered  Gif.  "We've  got  a  fox, 
and  we've  had  quite  a  few  rabbits,  squirrels, 
quail  and  partridges." 

"Not  so  bad."  Herman  Grouse  looked  anx- 
iously at  the  boys  and  Jed  Wallop.  "Where 
are  you  staying?" 

"At  Cedar  Lodge.  It's  several  miles  from 
here,"  answered  Jack.  And  then  he  con- 
tinued: "You  belong  around  here?  I 


264  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

thought  you  said  you  had  a  farm  near  En- 
wood." 

"So  I  have.  But  during  the  winter  I  make 
a  little  extra  money  trucking.  That's  what 
I  am  doing  now.  I  am  feeling  pretty  goodj 
again." 

"Where  are  you  bound?"  questioned  Randy. 

At  this  question  Herman  Grouse  seemed 
somewhat  disturbed. 

"Oh,  I've  got  to  go  up  the  road  quite  a 
distance,"  he  answered  evasively.  "I  might 
offer  to  give  you  a  ride,  only  you  can  see  I  am 
loaded  down  as  it  is."  And  this  statement 
was  correct,  for  the  boxsled  was  carrying 
about  all  the  team  could  haul. 

"We  met  some  other  Germans  around  here 
— four  men  who  drive  around  in  a  big  sleigh," 
said  Tack  boldly  and  looking  Herman  Grouse 
full  in  the  eyes. 

"Yes,  yes !  I  know !"  The  eyes  of  the  man 
fell  for  an  instant.  "I  am  not  a  German,"  he 
said  somewhat  lamely.  "That  is,  I  was  born 
on  the  other  side,  but  I  came  to  this  country 
before  I  was  twenty-one,  and  now  I  am  an 
American." 

"Then  you  don't  side  with  Germany  in  this 
war?" 

"I  don't  side  with  the  Kaiser.     I  am  sorry 


WHAT  THE  BIG  BARN  CONTAINED       26$ 

for  the  common  people,  for  they  have  had  no 
say-so  in  this  awful  slaughter  that  is  going 
on." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  hear  that  you  stick  up  for 
jthe  good  old  U.  S.  A.!"  cried  Jack.  "Yon 
know  there  are  a  good  many  Germans  and 
German-Americans  here  who  are  the  other 
way." 

"I  want  nothing  to  do  with  them  and  noth- 
ing to  do  with  war!"  answered  Herman 
Grouse.  "I  am  only  a  hard-working  man  who 
wants  to  be  left  alone."  He  paused  for  an 
instant.  "Don't  imagine  that  I  have  forgotten 
what  you  did  for  me,"  he  continued,  with  a 
little  smile.  "You  were  my  very  good  friends, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  it.  Now,  if  you 
please,  I  must  hurry  on,  because  I  want  to 
get  back  home  before  it  gets  too  dark.  I 
wish  you  all  the  best  of  lucfc  with  your  hunt- 
ing;" and  he  took  up  the  reins  again. 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  the  hunting 
in  that  direction?"  questioned  Randy,  pointing 
to  where  the  old  Parkingham  house  was 
(located. 

"I  do  not  think  it  is  very  good  up  there," 
was  the  quick  reply.  "And,  anyway,  if  i  were 
you  gentlemen  I  would  not  go  anywhere  near 
the  old  house  up  there." 


266  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Why  not?"  demanded  Jed  Wallop. 

"The  people  who  are  staying  there  are  very 
queer.  They  do  not  like  any  strangers  around/' 

"Then  you  know  them?"  questioned  Gif. 

"Yes,  I  know  them,  but  not  very  welL 
Some  of  them  are  German-Americans,  like 
me,  but  they  are  not  my  friends.  I  would 
advise  you  to  stay  away  from  them.  The 
hunting,  anyway,  is  better  elsewhere.  Now 
good-bye  and  good  luck."  And  thus  speaking, 
Herman  Grouse  urged  forward  his  team  and 
continued  on  his  way. 

"I'll  bet  a  new  hat  against  a  lemon  that  he 
is  bound  for  the  old  Parkingham  house !"  ex- 
claimed Randy,  when  the  German  was  out  oi 
earshot. 

"Let  us  follow  him  and  make  sure/'  re- 
turned his  twin. 

"All  right,"  said  Jack.  "But  we  had  better 
keep  out  of  sight  among  the  trees." 

With  so  much  timber  standing  around,  this 
was  an  easy  matter.  Following  Grouse,  they 
saw  the  man  at  last  turn  in  at  the  old  house 
and  drive  around  to  where  the  barn  was  lo- 
cated. Then  he  got  out  of  the  boxsled  and 
walked  to  a  back  door  of  the  residence. 

"Now  I  guess  we'll  find  out  if  those  Ger- 
mans are  back  or  not,"  announced  Gif. 


WHAT  THE  BIG  BARN  CONTAINED       26? 

They  waited  for  several  minutes,  and  then 
the  door  was  again  opened  and  Herman 
Grouse  came  out,  followed  by  two  of  the  men 
the  boys  had  previously  seen.  All  three  hur- 
ried down  to  the  barn  and  there  began  to  un- 
load the  boxsled.  Then  the  boys  saw  the  un- 
known Germans  give  Grouse  some  money. 
The  three  talked  together  for  a  few  minutes 
in  German,  and  then  the  owner  of  the  box- 
sled  drove  away  and  the  other  Germans  re- 
turned to  the  house. 

"This  is  getting  interesting,"  remarked 
Jack.  "Of  course,  that  hay  was  meant  for 
the  horses,  but  what  do  you  suppose  can  be  in 
those  packing  cases?" 

"Come  on  around  to  the  back  of  the  barn, 
and  maybe  we  can  learn  something  further," 
said  Fred. 

"It's  gettin'  purty  late,  boys/'  announced 
Jed  Wallop. 

"If  you  want  to  go  home,  don't  let  us  keep 
you,"  returned  Gif,  quickly. 

"Well,  I  don't  want  to  see  any  of  you  lads 
git  into  trouble,"  answered  Wallop.  "At  the 
same  time,  I  hate  to  leave  my  family  alone  after 
dark." 

"Well*  you  go  on,  then,"  put  in  Jack 
quickly.  "There  are  five  of  us,  and  I  guess 


368  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

we  can  take  care  of  ourselves,  especially  as 
we  have  our  guns  with  us." 

"O*  course,  everything  may  be  perfectly 
reg'lar  here,"  continued  Jed  Wallop.  "Al- 
though, like  you,  I  have  my  doubts.  But  un- 
less you  want  me  to  stay,  I'll  git  home,"  And 
a  little  later  he  took  his  departure. 

Left  to  themselves,  the  Rovers  and  Gif 
watched  their  chance,  and,  unobserved,  en- 
tered the  big  barn.  Here  they  found  that  all 
of  the  packing  cases  which  had  been  brought 
in  by  Herman  Grouse  had  been  placed  out  of 
sight  under  the  hay. 

"One  thing  is  certain — they  don't  want  any 
outsiders  to  know  about  these  cases,"  re- 
marked Jack. 

Suddenly  Fred,  who  was  looking  out  of  the 
doorway  toward  the  house,  uttered  a  low  cry 
of  alarm. 

"Get  under  cover,  fellows,  just  as  quick  as 
you  can !"  he  said.  "Three  of  those  Germans 
are  coming  down  here  1" 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLVES 

FRED'S  announcement  came  as  a  surprise.  The 
Germans  were  coming  from  the  house  so/ 
rapidly  that  there  was  no  time  to  leave  the 
barn,  the  back  door  being  closed  and  having 
some  packing  cases  and  hay  against  it. 

"Come  on  up  in  the  loft!"  cried  Jack.  "Be 
quick  now!" 

"Why  not  hide  down  here  in  the  hay?"  sug- 
gested Andy. 

"Because  they  may  try  to  get  at  those  pack- 
ing cases,  and  then  they  would  probably  dis- 
cover us,"  was  the  reply.  "Quick!  This 
way!" 

Gif  was  already  acting  on  the  oldest  Rover 
boy's  suggestion  and  going  up  a  ladder  nailed 
to  one  side  of  the  barn.  Randy  and  the  others 
followed,  Fred  being  the  last. 

At  the  top  of  the  ladder  was  an  opening  to 
a  large  loft.  Here  there  was  more  hay,  and 
also  some  old  farm  implements  which  had 

269 


270  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

evidently  been  hoisted  there  by  means  of  a 
block  and  tackle. 

"Hush  now,"  warned  Gif,  and  the  five 
cadets  tiptoed  their  way  toward  the  hay,  bent 
upon  secreting  themselves  should  it  become 
necessary  to  do  so. 

The  Germans  carried  two  lanterns,  for  it 
was  now  quite  dark  in  the  barn.  They  were 
talking  volubly  in  their  native  tongue,  so  that 
the  cadets  could  understand  very  little  of 
what  was  said.  One  man,  a  tall,  burly  indi- 
vidual, who  was  evidently  more  prosperous 
than  the  others,  was  addressed  as  Herr  Bauer- 
tnann,  and  he  was  the  man  mentioned  by  the 
woman  who  had  refused  to  open  the  door  and 
let  Jack  and  Gif  in. 

Herr  Bauermann  had  come  out  to  inspect 
the  contents  of  Mae  packing  cases  brought  in 
by  Herman  Grouse.  He  had  the  two  other 
men  open  the  cases  and  take  out  layers  of 
excelsior  so  that  he  might  look  at  what  was 
underneath.  He  gave  a  grunt  of  satisfaction 
and  nodded  his  head  approvingly,  at  the  same 
time  continuing  to  speak  in  German. 

All  of  the  cadets  were  anxious  to  see  what 
the  boxes  contained,  and  looked  cautiously 
down  the  ladder  opening  and  through  some 
cracks  in  the  loft  flooring.  All  they  could 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLVES  271 

make  out  was  some  machinery,  apparently 
electrical  and  similar  to  that  in  the  other 
cases.  There  was  also  a  large  round  package 
covered  with  heavy  bagging,  and  this  was 
found  to  contain  more  coils  of  wire  of  various- 
sizes. 

While  the  men  were  looking  around  one  of 
them  suddenly  stooped  and  picked  up  some- 
thing from  the  floor.  He  passed  this  to  the 
others,  at  the  same  time  making  some  re- 
mark which,  of  course,  the  lads  could  not 
understand. 

"He's  got  a  glove,"  whispered  Jack. 

"It's  one  of  my  gloves !  I  dropped  it  when 
we  climbed  the  ladder,"  returned  Randy  in  sud- 
den alarm. 

The  finding  of  the  glove  interested  the 
Germans  very  much.  They  looked  all  around 
the  barn,  and  for  a  few  minutes  the  cadets 
were  fearful  that  they  would  come  up  in  the 
loft.  But  then  they  evidently  concluded  that 
the  glove  had  been  dropped  by  Herman 
Grouse,  and  placed  it  on  a  shelf. 

It  was  a  good  half  hour  before  the  Germans, 
left  the  barn  and  returned  to  the  house,  and 
by  that  time  the  five  cadets  in  the  loft  were 
almost  frozen.  They  had  been  unable  to  move 
around  and  thus  keep  warm,  and  with  the 


272  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

coming  of  night  the  thermometer  was  going 
down  steadily. 

"Come  on !  let  us  get  out  of  here,"  said  Fred, 
his  teeth  chattering.  "If  we  don't  move  soon 
I'll  be  frozen  stiff." 

The  boys  came  cautiously  out  of  the  bara 
and  looked  toward  the  house.  Every  curtain 
was  tightly  drawn,  and  lights  shown  only 
from  the  kitchen  and  the  dining  room  of  the 
old  dwelling. 

"Those  fellows  are  going  to  get  supper," 
said  Randy,  "and  I  move  we  go  home  and  do 
likewise.  We  can't  learn  anything  more 
standing  here,  and  if  we  went  to  the  door  and 
showed  ourselves  those  men  might  get  very 
suspicious." 

"All  right !  let's  go  back  to  the  Lodge  then," 
announced  Jack.  "Just  the  same,  I'm  going 
to  investigate  this  matter  further,  and  I'm  not 
going  to  wait  so  very  long  either." 

"Oh,  I  guess  we  all  want  to  investigate 
these  Germans,"  said  Fred  quickly.  "Don't 
you  remember  how  we  helped  to  round  up 
those  submarine  rascals?"  he  added,  referring 
to  an  affair  which  has  been  related  in  detail  in 
the  volume  entitled,  "The  Rover  Boys  Under 
Canvas/' 

Losing  no  more  time,  the  five  cadets  hur- 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLVES 


273 


ried  down  the  rough  mountain  road,  and  then 
struck  off  through  the  woods  on  a  bee  line 
for  Cedar  Lodge.  This  time  Gif  took  good 
care  that  they  should  not  become  lost.  But 
it  was  a  long  wearisome  journey,  and  before 
the  Lodge  was  reached  every  one  of  the  lads 
was  almost  ready  to  drop  from  exhaustion. 
They  were  bitterly  cold,  and  some  of  them 
thought  their  ears  or  neses  must  be  frozen. 

"There's  the  light!"  cried  Fred  at  last,  and 
he  pointed  to  a  candle  which  Spouter  had  had 
Stowell  place  in  one  of  the  windows. 

"Spouter  must  have  done  that  to  help  us  to 
find  the  way,"  said  Jack.  "Very  thoughtful 
of  him." 

As  soon  as  they  were  a  little  closer  they  set 
up  a  ringing  shout,  and  at  once  Henry  Stowel? 
came  to  the  door  and  flung  it  open.  All  were 
glad  enough  to  troop  in  and  throw  themselves 
down  in  comfortable  seats  before  the  blazing 
fire. 

"Me  for  a  big  hot  supper!"  announced 
Randy.  "And  I  can't  get  it  inside  of  me  any; 
too  quick!" 

"Ditto  right  here,"  added  Fred. 

"And  don't  forget  to  pass  me  a  large  por- 
tion, please,"  came  from  Andy. 

Under    Spouter's    directions,    Stowell    had 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

already  set  a  pot  of  water  to  boiling,  and  had 
likewise  baked  a  large  pan  of  pork  and  beans 
and  made  another  pan  of  biscuits.  Even 
though  he  had  asked  the  sneak  of  Colby  Hall 
to  work,  Spouter  had  spoken  kindly  to  Stowell 
and  given  him  some  first-class  advice,  and  this 
was  evidently  having  its  effect. 

"I've  got  my  skates,  and  I'm  going  to  skate 
down  to  Henryville  to-morrow,"  said  Stowell. 
"From  there  I  can  take  the  public  sleigh  to 
Timminsport,  and  go  home  that  way.  Wish  I 
was  there  now !" 

Soon  supper  was  under  way,  and,  while  eat- 
ing, the  other  cadets  related  to  their  chum 
what  they  had  seen  and  heard  around  the 
old  house  in  the  woods. 

"There  sure  is  something  wrong  up  there," 
declared  Spouter,  whose  sprained  ankle  was 
much  better.  "Those  fellows  are  up  to  no 
good.  I  think,  Jack,  we  ought  to  notify  the 
authorities." 

"We  talked  that  over,  Spouter ;  and  we  have 
concluded  that  we  will  take  another  look 
around  the  place  first,"  was  the  reply. 

The  others  questioned  Stowell  again,  but 
could  get  little  further  information  from  the 
young  cadet.  He  was  satisfied,  however,  that 
(Wern€r  had  been  doing  some  queer  things  for 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLVES  275 

Tony  Duval,  and  that  Bill  Glutts  had  assisted 
his  crony. 

"There  is  something  strange  about  the 
whole  business,"  said  he.  "Once  or  twice  I 
asked  Bill  or  Gabe  about  it,  but  I  never  could! 
get  any  satisfaction.  I  sometimes  think  car- 
rying that  message  was  only  a  bluff,  and  that 
the  Germans  were  merely  trying  to  test  out 
Bill  and  Gabe,  to  see  if  they  could  not  get 
them  to  do  something  else." 

In  the  morning  came  a  big  surprise.  It 
was  snowing  and  blowing  furiously,  and  to  go 
hunting  or  to  do  anything  else  outside  was 
practically  out  of  the  question.  The  windows 
were  coated  with  ice. 

"I  guess  I'll  have  to  stay  with  you  fellows 
for  awhile,"  remarked  Stowell  dolefully.  "I 
wouldn't  dare  to  try  to  get  to  Henryville  in 
such  a  snowstorm  as  this." 

"You  stay  right  where  you  are,  Henry,  and 
make  yourself  comfortable,"  said  Gif.  "As 
long  as  you're  willing  to  do  your  share  of  the 
work  around  here,  you  shall  have  your  share 
of  whatever  there  is  to  eat." 

"It's  very  nice  of  you  fellows  to  treat  me 
this  way  after  all  that  has  happened,"  said 
the  young  cadet.  "Of  course  I'll  do  my  full 
share  of  the  work.  When  I  was  with  Bill  and 


276  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

Gabe  they  always  wanted  me  to  do  every- 
thing." 

The  storm  continued  all  that  day,  the  wind, 
if  anything,  increasing  in  violence.  All  the 
boys  could  do  was  to  keep  the  fire  going  and 
make  themselves  as  comfortable  as  possible 
inside  the  Lodge.  They  read,  wrote  letters, 
and  played  games,  and  also  tried  their  hands 
at  more  candy-making,  and  also  the  baking  of 
some  pies  and  cookies. 

"Gee !  those  pies  are  pretty  good,"  an- 
nounced Spouter,  after  a  piece  of  one  of  them 
had  been  passed  to  him. 

"They  ought  to  be  good,"  returned  Fred. 
"My  face  was  nearly  burned  off  baking  them." 

"And  please  don't  ask  me  to  make  any  more 
doughnuts,"  announced  Randy.  "If  I  had  to 
run  a  bake  shop,  I'd  charge  about  twice  as 
much  as  the  regular  bakers  do." 

"He'd  charge  for  the  hole  in  the  dough- 
nut," came  from  his  twin,  with  a  grin. 

During  the  day  they  had  once  or  twice 
heard  a  sound  outside  that  was  new  to  them. 
They  were  not  sure,  but  Jack  thought  it 
might  be  a  wolf,  and  to  this  Gif  agreed. 

"There  are  wolves  prowling  around  here," 
said  the  latter.  "But  I  never  knew  of  any  to 
come  close  to  the  Lodge." 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLyES  277 

"More  than  likely  he's  hungry  and  wants 
something  to  eat,  and  has  smelled  our  stuff 
cooking,"  ventured  Fred. 

They  had  an  early  supper,  and  then  Gif  said 
they  would  have  to  get  in  another  supply  of 
wood  from  the  shed  before  retiring. 

"And  we  might  as  well  get  in  a  good  supply 
while  we  are  at  it,"  he  added.  "If  this  snow 
keeps  coming  down  we  may  not  be  able  to  get 
out  at  all  to-morrow  unless  we  do  a  lot  of 
shoveling." 

It  was  no  easy  job  to  get  to  the  woodshed, 
for  the  wind  was  still  blowing  furiously. 
When  they  opened  the  back  door  of  the  Lodge 
the  snow  came  swirling  in,  almost  blinding 
them. 

"No  use  of  you  fellows  trying  it,"  an- 
nounced Jack  to  Fred  and  Stowell. 

"That's  it,"  said  Gif.  "Four  of  us  going  out 
will  be  more  than  enough.  You  fellows  can 
push  the  snow  away  from  the  door  if  you 
want  to." 

,  With  their  overcoats  buttoned  up  tightly 
and  their  caps  pulled  well  down  over  their 
ears,  Gif,  Jack  and  the  twins  sallied  forth  in. 
the  direction  of  the  wood  shed,  which  was 
about  fifty  yards  away.  They  had  all  they 
could  do  to  make  any  progress,  and  when  the 


278  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

shed  was  gained  they  were  almost  winded, 

"Say,  we  were  foolish  not  to  get  this  wood 
before,"  panted  Gif. 

"Well,  there  is  no  use  of  finding  fault  now/' 
answered  Jack.  "Come  on.  Now  we  have 
packed  down  the  path  a  little  it  won't  be  quite 
so  hard." 

The  four  boys  made  two  trips  to  the  wood- 
shed, each  time  bringing  all  the  logs  they 
could  carry.  Then  Randy  wanted  to  call  a 
halt. 

"I'm  about  played  out,"  said  he.  "Let  us 
get  the  rest  in  tomorrow." 

"That's  just  what  I  say,"  gasped  his  twin. 
"No  use  of  killing  ourselves." 

"I'm  going  to  make  one  more  trip,"  said 
Gif. 

"And  so  am  I,"  added  Jack. 

The  pair  stepped  put  of  the  house  with  the 
others  watching  them.  In  a  minute  more  they 
disappeared  from  view  in  the  storm  and  the 
darkness. 

"Gee !  but  it's  going  to  be  one  awful  night," 
cried  Fred. 

"You've  said  it!"  returned  Randy.  Then, 
of  a  sudden,  he  gave  a  start.  "What's  that  ?" 
he  ejaculated. 

What  he  referred  to  was  a  long  mournful 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  WOLVES  279 

howl  which  arose  on  the  storm-laden  air. 
This  howl  was  followed  by  another,  and  then 
by  a  third. 

"It's  wolves!"  cried  Fred. 

"Look!  Look!"  ejaculated  Andy.  "Look 
out  there,  will  you?  A  whole  pack  of 
wolves!" 

"Yes,  and  they're  coming  right  for  the 
house!"  wailed  Stowell.  "Shut  that  door 
quick,  or  they'll  jump  in  on  us  1** 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  MAN  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT 

"DON'T  shut  the  door!"  cried  Randy.  "Re- 
member, Gif  and  Jack  are  outside." 

"Hello  out  there !"  yelled  Spouter,  hobbling 
to  the  door  in  the  excitement.  "Beware  of  the 
wolves !" 

Whether  his  voice  carried  to  Jack  and  Gif 
through  the  storm  they  could  not  tell.  Then 
came  another  howl  from  the  wolves,  this  time 
in  concert,  and  suddenly  two  of  the  slinking 
forms  appeared  close  to  the  open  door.  The 
eyes  of  the  beasts  appeared  so  baneful  to  the 
cadets  that  they  quickly  slammed  the  barrier 
shut  and  bolted  it. 

"But  we  can't  leave  Jack  and  Gif  out  there  !'* 
cried  Fred.  "Remember!  they  are  unarmed." 

"Get  the  guns!"  ordered  Spouter.  "Hurry 
up !  We'll  give  those  wolves  all  they  are  look- 
ing for." 

He  hobbled  across  the  floor  to  his  own 
weapon,  resting  against  the  wall  in  a  corner, 

ato 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT      281 

and  looked  to  see  if  it  was  loaded.  The  others 
also  made  a  wild  dash  to  arm  themselves. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  howls  of  the  wolves 
kept  increasing.  Two  more  of  the  beasts  had 
come  up  close  to  the  Lodge,  so  that  the  total 
number  was  now  five. 

"Oh,  oh !  do  you  think  they'll  break  into  the 
house  and  eat  us  up?"  wailed  Stowell. 

"If  they  break  in  they'll  get  one  mighty 
warm  reception,"  answered  Andy.  "Come 
on !  let  us  open  that  door  and  go  after  them," 
he  continued  boldly. 

Now  that  they  were  armed  the  Rovers  and 
Spouter  felt  much  safer,  and  they  lost  no  time 
in  getting  back  to  the  door  which  they  had 
just  closed. 

"Oh,  dear!  don't  open  the  door,"  pleaded 
Stowell.  "They'll  jump  right  in  on  top  of  us !" 

"Not  after  we  give  'em  a  few  doses  of  shot," 
answered  Spouter.  Here,  Henry,  you  stand 
behind  the  door  along  with  Fred.  You,  Andy 
and  Randy,  fire  as  soon  as  you  catch  sight  of 
the  wolves.  I'll  reserve  my  shot  for  any  beast 
that  tries  to  enter." 

"Wait!"  called  out  Randy  suddenly. 
"When  you  shoot  at  the  wolves  be  sure  to 
aim  low.  Otherwise  the  shots  may  carry 
through  the  storm  and  hit  Gif  or  Jack." 


2&2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

The  door  was  opened  cautiously  by  Fred, 
Stowell  being  too  frightened  to  assist.  Those 
ready  to  fire  saw  several  of  the  wolves  in  a 
bunch  less  than  fifteen  feet  away.  The  beasts 
had  found  some  scraps  of  food  which  had  been 
thrown  out  of  the  bungalow  and  were  pawing 
for  more  in  the  snow. 

"Bang!  bang!  went  the  shotguns  in  thq 
hands  of  the  twins.  The  wolves  gave  loud 
yelps  of  pain,  and  one  leaped  high  in  the  air. 
Another  uttered  a  fierce  snarl,  and  then,  see- 
ing the  young  hunters,  made  a  dash  directly  for 
them. 

It  was  a  moment  of  great  peril,  for  the  wolf 
had  been  wounded  just  enough  to  make  it 
tremendously  ugly.  Its  eyes  gleamed 
wickedly,  and  it  showed  every  tooth  in  its 
wide-open  mouth. 

But  Spouter  was  on  guard.  He  waited  until 
the  wolf  was  less  than  five  feet  from  the  door, 
and  then  blazed  away.  The  charge  of  shot 
was  so  heavy  that  the  beast  fell  back,  its  neck 
completely  shattered. 

"Now  give  'em  a  second  barrel,  boys !"  cried 
Spouter,  and  a  moment  later  three  more  re- 
ports rang  out. 

Then,  unable  to  resist  the  temptation  to  get 
into  the  fight,  Fred  caught  up  his  gun  and 


THE  MAX  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT      383 

also  fired,  managing  to  catch  one  of  the  flee- 
ing beasts  in  the  hind  quarters. 

"I  guess  that's  the  last  of  those  wolves," 
remarked  Spouter.  "I  don't  believe  they'll 
come  around  here  again  all  winter." 

The  wolf  shot  through  the  neck  was  dead, 
while  at  least  two  of  the  others  were  so  badly 
wounded  they  could  scarcely  drag  themselves 
away  through  the  storm.  The  others  dis- 
appeared as  if  by  magic,  racing  along  at  the 
top  of  their  speed. 

"Hello  there !"  came  from  out  of  the  stown. 
"How  did  you  make  out  with  those  wolves?"' 
It  was  Jack  who  was  calling,  and  a  moment 
later  he  appeared  with  Gif  following. 

"There  is  what  is  left  of  the  pack!"  cried 
Randy,  pointing  to  the  dead  wolf.  "Spouter 
brought  that  one  down,  and  we  managed  to 
wound  at  least  two  others." 

"And  those  that  could  do  it  left  quicker  than 
them  came,"  added  his  twin. 

"Good  for  you,  Spouter !"  cried  Jack.  "Evi- 
dently spraining  your  ankle  didn't  interfere 
with  your  marksmanship." 

"Huh !  anybody  could  hit  a  target  if  he  was 
right  on  top  of  it,"  answered  the  other  cadet; 
nevertheless  Spouter  was  immensely  pleased 
orer  his  success  in  laying  the  big  wolf  lo-w» 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

The  carcass  of  the  dead  beast  was  dragged 
into  the  entryway,  and  then  Gif  and  Jack 
brought  a  few  more  sticks  of  wood  from  the 
shed. 

f  "We'll  have  to  skin  that  wolf,"  said  Gif. 
"Spouter,  you  can  get  a  very  nice  rug  out  of 
it,  or  maybe  use  the  fur  for  some  kind  of  a 
garment." 

"I'll  send  it  home,"  said  Spouter.  "I  know 
it  will  please  the  folks  very  much." 

It  was  not  until  some  days  later  that  the 
storm  cleared  away  sufficiently  for  the  boys  to 
go  out  once  more.  Then,  as  they  were  run- 
ning short  of  supplies,  they  decided  to  accom- 
pany Stowell  down  to  Henryville,  going  as 
before  on  their  skates. 

"I  must  say  I  rather  hate  to  leave  you  fel- 
lows," declared  the  little  cadet.  "You've 
treated  me  very  nicely — much  better  than  I 
was  treated  by  Bill  and  Gabe.  When,  we  get 
back  to  Colby  Hall  I  won't  forget  it." 

"Well,  you  turn  over  a  new  leaf,  Henry,  and 
join  the  right  crowd,  and  you'll  get  along  much 
better,"  answered  Jack.  "It  will  never  do  a 
fellow  any  good  to  train  with  chaps  like  Glutts 
and  Werner  or  with  fellows  like  Nappy  Mar- 
lell  and  Slugger  Brown." 

They  found  quite  a  little  snow  on  the  rives 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT      285 

and  had  often  to  plough  across  the  drifts  on 
their  skates  as  best  they  could.  But  there 
were  many  long,  cleared  spaces,  and  here  all  of 
the  cadets  made  good  time,  for  even  Stowell 
was  a  fairly  good  skater. 

"You'll  be  just  in  time,  Henry,"  said  Gif,' 
as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  town.  "It's  now 
half-past  ten,  and,  if  I  remember  rightly,  the 
public  sleigh  for  Timminsport  leaves  at  eleven 
o'clock." 

Gif's  surmise  proved  correct  and  all  walked 
over  to  the  hotel  from  which  the  sleigh  for  the 
other  town  started.  It  was  an  easy  matter  for 
Stowell  to  obtain  accommodations  in  this 
turnout,  and  soon  he  had  said  good-bye  and  was 
bound  for  home. 

"I'm  mighty  glad  he  is  going  to  give  up 
training  with  Glutts  and  Werner,"  remarked 
Fred,  and  the  others  agreed  with  him. 

The  boys  had  made  out  a  list  of  what  they 
wanted,  and,  leaving  the  hotel,  they  went  over 
to  the  general  store  where  they  had  traded  be- 
fore. The  proprietor  was  glad  to  see  them, 
especially  when  he  found  out  they  needed  so 
many  things. 

"I  had  a  man  in  here  last  night  asking 
about  you,"  said  the  storekeeper  when  he  was 
busy  putting  up  their  things. 


286  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Asking  about  us?"  repeated  Jack.  "Who 
was  he?" 

"I  don't  know.  He  was  in  here  once  be- 
fore, two  or  three  weeks  ago  asking  about  the 
^different  hunting  lodges  and  lumber  camps  in 
[this  vicinity.  He  didn't  give  any  name,  and  he 
didn't  say  what  his  business  was." 

"What  sort  of  looking  man  was  he?"  asked 
Gif. 

"Oh,  just  an  ordinary  looking  sort  of  fellow 
— not  very  tall  and  not  very  short  either.  He 
had  a  clean-shaven  face  and  dark  hair  and  dark 
eyes." 

"How  was  he  dressed?"  questioned  Fred. 

"He  wore  a  dark  grey  overcoat  and  a  slouch 
hat  and  fur  gloves.  He  bought  a  couple  of  my 
best  cigars,  and  stood  around  awhile,  talking 
about  the  people  who  came  to  the  store  to 
trade.  Then  he  asked  about  Cedar  Lodge, 
and  he  wanted  to  know  all  about  who  was, 
staying  there.  When  he  heard  the  name 
Rover  he  was  very  much  interested,  and  when 
I  told  him  you  were  a  bunch  of  cadets  from 
Colby  Hall  he  said  he  would  have  to  look  you 
up." 

"Maybe  he's  a  friend  of  ours !"  cried  Randy. 
"Too  bad  you  didn't  get  the  name." 

"I  don't  know  as  he  was  any  particular 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT      287 

friend.  You  see,  he  asked  about  some  of  the 
other  places  around  here  too — about  Jed  Wal- 
lop's place,  and  those  shacks  belonging  to> 
Tony  Duval,  and  about  the  old  Hunker  cabin 
and  the  deserted  Parkingham  house,  and  the 
old  Crosby  camp,  and  those  shacks  down  at 
Miller's  saw  mill,  and  a  lot  of  places  like  that. 
I  thought  maybe  he  had  an  idea  of  buying 
some  place  and  locating  here." 

"He  may  have  been  nothing  but  a  real  es- 
tate agent,"  declared  Andy. 

"What  did  you  tell  him  about  the  old  Park- 
ingham house?"  questioned  Jack  curiously. 

"I  told  him  a  bunch  of  foreigners  were  stay- 
ing up  there — I  thought  possibly  they  might 
be  Germans  trying  to  hide  themselves  so  as 
to  keep  out  of  the  draft.  Say !  do  you  suppose 
he  might  be  a  Government  agent  rounding  up 
the  slackers?"  continued  the  storekeeper,  with 
interest. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  answered  Jack. 
"If  he  calls  again  ask  him  his  name,  and  if 
he  is  a  friend  of  ours  tell  him  we  would  be 
glad  to  see  him  up  at  the  lodge  at  any  time." 

"All  right,  I'll  do  that." 

Had  they  not  been  hampered  by  so  many 
bundles  and  packages,  some  of  which  were 
quite  heavy,  the  cadets  would  have  remained 


288  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

out  hunting  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  But  as 
it  was,  they  decided  to  skate  directly  home 
and  obtain  a  belated  lunch  at  the  Lodge,  and 
then,  if  they  felt  like  it,  go  out  later. 

"We're  up  here  just  for  the  fun  of  it,  so 
there  is  no  necessity  of  being  too  strenuous," 
said  Gif.  "We  want  to  go  back  to  Colby  Hall 
feeling  really  refreshed." 

They  had  reached  the  river  once  more,  and 
were  busy  putting  on  their  skates,  when  they 
heard  a  shout  behind  them.  Turning,  they 
beheld  a  man  who,  as  soon  as  he  saw  they 
were  looking  in  his  direction,  waved  his  hand 
at  them. 

"Excuse  me,  but  are  some  of  you  the  Rover 
boys?"  he  questioned,  as  he  came  closer. 

"Yes,"  answered  Jack.  "I  am  one  of  the 
Rovers,  and  these  are  my  cousins,"  and  he 
indicated  the  others. 

"I  was  up  at  the  store,  and  the  storekeeper 
told  me  you  had  just  gone  away  and  were 
bound  up  the  river.  If  you  don't  mind,  I  would 
like  to  have  a  talk  with  you." 
:  The  man  was  of  medium  size,  with  dark 
hair  and  dark  eyes,  and  as  he  wore  a  dark 
grey  overcoat  and  a  slouch  hat,  the  cadets  im- 
mediately put  him  down  for  the  individual 
mentioned  to  them  by  the  storekeeper.  He 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  GREY  OVERCOAT      289 

had  a  quiet  smile  on  his  face  which  was  re- 
assuring to  all  of  the  lads. 

"What  is  it  you  want  to  know?"  questioned 
Fred. 

"Are  you  the  Rovers  from  Colby  Hall — the 
young  men  who  had  so  much  to  do  with  round- 
ing up  those  Germans  at  Camp  Barlight  and 
capturing  that  hidden  submarine  ?" 

"Yes." 

"And  you  also  helped  in  rounding  up  those 
other  fellows  who  were  trying  to  put  through 
some  deal  with  two  men  named  Brown  and 
Martell?" 

"We  did,"  said  Andy. 

"It  was  a  fine  thing  to  do,  and  it  shows  that 
you  fellows  are  true  blue,"  returned  the  man, 
with  satisfaction. 

"Are  you  a  Secret  Service  man  ?"  questioned 
Jack  suddenly. 

"Why  do  you  want  to  know  that,  Rover?" 
was  the  counter  question. 

"If  you  belong  to  the  Secret  Service  you  are 
fust  the  man  we  are  looking  for." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE 

"So  YOU  want  to  see  a  Secret  Service  man, 
eh?"  said  the  newcomer,  after  a  slight  pause. 
".What's  in  the  wind?" 

""We  think  we  have  discovered  something 
that  the  Government  ought  to  know  about," 
answered  Jack  slowly. 

"But  there  isn't  any  use  of  our  saying  any- 
thing about  it  unless  you  are  really  a  public 
official  of  some  sort  or  other,"  broke  in  Randy 
hastily. 

After  this  there  followed  quite  a  conversa- 
tion, the  newcomer  leading  the  boys  on  to  tell 
what  they  knew  concerning  the  Germans  at 
the  old  Parkingham  house,  and  also  what  they 
knew  about  Herman  Grouse  and  Tony  Duval. 

"I  think  I  am  on  the  right  track  at  last,"  said 
the  man.  "And  since  you  have  told  me  so  much 
I  will  return  your  confidences  by  stating  that  I 
am  a  Secret  Service  officer.  We  had  an  idea  that 
the  Germans  might  try  something  of  that  sort 


WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE       291 

in  this  yicinity,  and  I  am  pretty  sure  now  that  we 
are  on  the  right  track." 

"Try  something  of  what  sort?"  questioned 
Andy. 

"We  received  word  in  a  roundabout  way 
•rer  six  weeks  ago  that  an  attempt  would  be 
made  by  the  Germans  to  establish  a  radio  sta- 
tion somewhere  along  this  portion  of  the  coast. 
The  hills  back  of  Timminsport  and  Henry- 
ville  would  make  an  ideal  spot  for  such  a  sta- 
tion." 

"Do  you  mean  a  radio  station  from  which 
they  could  send  wireless  messages  all  the  way 
to  Germany?"  cried  Fred. 

"Oh,  no !  Not  such  a  distance  as  that.  Such 
a  station  would  require  more  power  than  they, 
would  be  able  to  generate  without  heavy  and' 
complicated  machinery.  But  it  was  thought 
they  might  establish  a  lesser  station  from 
which  they  could  send  wireless  messages  to 
any  of  their  submarines  or  warships  that 
might  be  sailing  within  a  given  distance  of  our 
shore." 

"You  surely  have  struck  it!"  cried  Randy. 
"Those  coils  of  wire  and  the  electrical  things 
we  saw  in  the  packing  cases  up  at  their  barn 
prove  it." 

The   Secret   Service   agent,  who  gave  his 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

name  as  William  Pollock,  questioned  them  still 
further,  and  then  said  he  would  get  into  im- 
mediate communication  with  his  superiors. 

"You'll  hear  more  from  me  in  the  near  fu- 
ture," said  he,  when  the  talk  had  come  to  an 
end.  "I'll  probably  be  at  Cedar  Lodge  in  two 
or  three  days.  In  the  meantime,  if  you  want 
to  do  Uncle  Sam  a  real  service  say  nothing 
at  all  to  any  outsider  of  what  you  have  dis- 
covered, or  of  your  meeting  with  me." 

To  this  the  cadets  readily  consented,  and 
then  William  Pollock  hurried  off,  to  obtain  a 
private  turnout  in  which  to  get  to  Timmins- 
port  as  speedily  as  possible. 

"Now  I  guess  there  will  be  something  doing 
up  at  the  Parkingham  house  before  long,"  de- 
clared Gif,  when  they  were  once  more  on  their 
way  to  the  Lodge. 

"Yes,  and  there  will  be  something  doing 
at  Tony  Duval's  place  too,"  returned  Jack. 

"I  wish  we  could  be  on  hand  to  see  what 
happens !"  cried  Randy  wistfully. 

"Perhaps,  if  the  Secret  Service  men  come  up 
here  to  make  an  arrest,  they  will  allow  us  to 
go  along  with  them,"  added  his  twin. 

On  account  of  his  ankle,  which  was  still 
somewhat  weak,  Spouter  had  remained  at  the 
bungalow.  When  the  others  returned  he 


WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE        293 

listened  with  keen  interest  to  all  they  had  to 
tell. 

"Gee,  that's  great  I"  he  exclaimed.  "If  those 
Germans  are  really  guilty  I  hope  the  govern- 
ment officials  round  them  up  in  short  order.'* 

"Yes,  and  round  up  Tony  Duval,  too,"  added 
Fred. 

"What  about  Glutts  and  Werner?"  ques- 
tioned Andy. 

"Well,  if  they  have  been  guilty  of  any 
treachery  toward  our  Government,  they  ought 
to  suffer,"  was  the  way  Gif  expressed  him- 
self. 

"Do  you  know,  I'll  feel  rather  sorry  for  that 
Herman  Grouse,  if  he  is  mixed  up  in  this,'* 
said  Jack.  "He  seemed  to  be  a  pretty  decent 
sort." 

"Well,  in  these  war  times  a  man  has  either 
got  to  be  for  Uncle  Sam  or  against  him,"  an- 
swered Spouter. 

Feeling  certain  that  William  Pollock  would 
be  unable  to  do  anything  that  afternoon,  the 
boys  got  a  hasty  lunch,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon went  out  for  some  more  hunting.  They 
tramped  a  distance  of  over  two  miles  through 
the  snow,  and  managed  to  bring  down  several 
rabbits  and  likewise  a  pheasant  and  soms 
smaller  birds. 


294  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"I  hope  we  don't  see  any  more  of  those 
wolves,"  said  Fred,  when  they  had  started  to 
return  to  the  Lodge. 

"Look!  look!"  cried  Gif  suddenly. 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  Jack  raised 
his  gun  and  fired.  Then  the  oldest  Rover  boy 
fired  again,  both  shots  being  taken  before  the 
others  could  get  their  guns  into  action. 

"It's  a  fox!"  cried  Randy.  "Jack,  I  guess 
you  got  him,  too!" 

"I  hope  so,"  was  Jack's  answer  as  he 
stopped  to  reload  his  weapon. 

The  animal  he  had  fired  at  had  been  running 
across  a  small  opening  between  the  trees.  At 
the  first  shot  the  game  had  made  a  turn,  and 
at  the  second  had  given  a  leap  and  disappeared 
into  a  small  hollow  filled  with  snow. 

When  the  boys  reached  the  hollow  all  they 
could  see  at  first  was  the  snow  which  had  been 
kicked  in  several  directions.  But  then  they 
caught  sight  of  a  bushy  tail  peeping  forth 
from  the  white  covering. 

"It's  a  fox,  all  right  enough!"  exlaimed 
Gif. 

"Look  out  there!  He  may  not  be  dead,"1 
warned  Fred..  "If  he's  alive  and  you  touch 
him  he  may  give  you  quite  a  bite." 

They  advanced  with  caution,  and  Gif  turned 


WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE       393 

the  animal  orer  with  the  end  of  his  gim  barrel. 
He  exposed  a  large  fox  of  a  silvery  grey  color. 
It  was  quite  dead. 

"A  silver  fox !"  came  from  Andy. 

"Jack,  you've  had  your  wish,"  said  Gii 
"It's  a  silver  fox,  all  right  enough." 

They  dragged  it  forth  from  the  hollow  and 
examined  the  animal  with  much  interest.  The 
fur  was  somewhat  reddish  next  to  the  hide, 
but  the  tips  were  white  and  silver  grey. 

"A  beautiful  piece  of  fur,  that's  certain," 
said  Gif.  "Your  folks  will  be  glad  to  get  it." 

"How  about  Ruth  Stevenson  getting  it," 
said  Randy,  with  a  grin;  and  at  this  remark 
Jack  blushed. 

A  part  of  the  next  day  was  spent  in  skinning 
both  the  fox  and  the  wolf.  The  boys  won-, 
dered  if  they  would  see  anything  of  the 
Secret  Service  agent,  but  he  did  not  show  him- 
self. 

"They  may  take  their  own  time  about  work- 
ing up  this  case,"  remarked  Spouter.  "They 
may  want  to  get  just  the  right  kind  of  evi- 
dence before  they  close  in  on  the  rascals." 

Another  day  went  by,  and  again  the  lads 
went  forth  to  try  their  skill  both  at  hunting" 
and  at  fishing.  This  time  Spouter  went  along, 
and  while  the  others  were  fishing  with  more 


296  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

or  less  success  the  orator  of  Colby  Hall  had 
the  honor  of  stirring  up  a  brook  mink  of  fair 
size  and  laying  it  low. 

"You've  got  a  nice  little  neck-piece  there 
for  somebody,"  said  Jack,  as  he  looked  at  the 
soft  fur  of  the  mink.  "You  can  count  your- 
self lucky." 

Another  Sunday  was  passed  in  camp,  but 
still  the  Secret  Service  agent  did  not  show 
himself.  On  the  Sabbath  day  Jed  Wallop 
came  down  to  see  them.  They  said  nothing 
to  the  old  hunter  of  what  was  in  the  wind. 

"I  am  sorry  to  hear  your  vacation  is  drawin' 
to  a  close,"  said  Jed  Wallop.  "But  you  ought 
to  be  purty  well  satisfied  over  what  you've 
got.  It  ain't  everybody  that  can  git  a  silver 
fox  and  other  foxes  too,  and  a  wolf  and  a 
brook  mink,  not  to  say  anything  about  rab- 
bits, squirrels,  partridges,  and  sech.  I  think 
you  lads  have  done  wonderful  well." 

"I  think  so  myself,"  answered  Gif. 

Monday  morning  the  young  hunters  took  it 
easy,  and  it  was  not  until  after  lunch  that  they 
thought  of  going  out  once  again  with  their  guns. 

"Might  as  well  make  the  best  of  what  time 
is  left  to  us,"  was  the  way  Fred  expressed 
himself.  "Before  long  we'll  have  to  be  at  the 
Colby  Hall  grind  again." 


WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE       297 

"Don't  mention  school  to  me,"  answered 
Andy.  "This  kind  of  a  life  suits  me  down  to 
the  heels." 

The  boys  were  almost  ready  to  leave  the 
Lodge  when  they  heard  the  jingle  of  sleigh 
bells  and  to  their  surprise  saw  a  large  sled  ap- 
proaching filled  with  the  bundled-up  figures  of 
men. 

"Hello,  it  must  be  those  Secret  Service 
agents !"  cried  Gif.  "Now  maybe  there  will 
be  something  doing!" 

All  watched  the  approach  of  the  big  sleigh, 
and  were  then  surprised  to  see  that  the  turn- 
out contained  the  four  Germans  they  had  met 
before,  and  likewise  Tony  Duval  and  a  sixth 
man,  who  was  a  stranger  to  them. 

"Are  you  at  home?"  called  out  the  largest 
of  the  Germans,  the  man  named  Bauermann. 

"Looks  as  if  we  were,  doesn't  it?"  answered 
Jack,  as  he  stood  in  the  doorway  with  the 
others  peering  over  his  shoulders. 

"We  would  like  to  have  a  talk  with  you, 
young  man,"  went  on  Emil  Bauermann,  with* 
a  frown  on  his  face.  "We  came  over  here  on 
purpose  to  see  you." 

"If  you  young  men  have  been  trying  to  make 
trouble  for  me  you  shall  suffer  for  it,"  came 
in  a  growl  from  Tony  Duval. 


298  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

"Who  said  we  were  trying  to  make  trouble 
for  you,  Duval  ?"  demanded  Gif. 

"Bah!  you  cannot  fool  me,  Garrison,"  said 
the  hunter  wrathfully.  Evidently  he  was 
greatly  excited. 

"Duval,  let  me  handle  this  matter,"  remon- 
strated Emil  Bauermann.  "We  want  to  have 
a  serious  talk  with  you  young  men,"  he  added 
to  the  boys. 

All  of  the  occupants  of  the  big  sleigh  sprang 
out  in  the  snow,  and  without  waiting  for  an 
invitation  to  do  so  stalked  into  the  Lodge. 

The  Germans  were  evidently  in  a  bad 
humor,  and  they  glowered  at  the  cadets  in  a 
way  that  made  them  feel  far  from  comfortable. 

"What  is  it  you  want?"  demanded  Gif,  not 
liking  the  manner  of  their  intrusion. 

"We  want  to  come  to  an  understanding," 
growled  one  of  the  Germans. 

"You  cannot  play  tricks  behind  our  backs 
without  taking  the  consequences,"  grumbled 
another. 

"Maybe  you  think  you're  smart,  but  you'll 
find  that  we  are  smarter,"  added  a  third. 
"Many  a  man  has  been  so  smart  that  he  has 
stuck  his  head  into  the  noose." 

"Let  me  handle  this  matter,"  broke  in  Emil 
Bauermann,  and  then  uttered  some  words  in 


WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  LODGE       299 

German.  An  animated  discusion  in  that 
tongue  followed,  the  cadets  understanding 
next  to  nothing  of  what  was  said. 

"I  do  not  like  the  looks  of  this  at  all/'  whis- 
pered Randy  to  Jack.  "I  believe  they  cam« 
here  to  do  us  harm." 

"That's  the  way  it  looks  to  me  too,"  whis- 
pered Fred.  "They  must  have  got  wind  in 
some  way  of  our  being  up  around  their  place." 

The  Germans  had  turned  to  the  strange  man 
who  was  with  them,  and  when  they  pointed  to 
the  cadets  this  stranger  nodded.  Evidently  he 
was  identifying  the  boys. 

"It  is  as  I  thought,"  said  Emil  Bauermann 
sternly,  as  he  glared  at  the  young  hunters. 
"This  man  saw  you  spying  around  our  place 
and  around  the  Duval  place.  What  do  you 
mean  by  such  conduct?  Explain  yourselves 
or  take  my  word  for  it,  it  will  go  hard  with 
you/'  and  he  shook  a  menacing  fist  in  their 
faces. 


THE   EXPOSURE — CONCLUSION 

IT  must  be  confessed  that  the  six  cadets  did  not 
like  the  menacing  attitude  of  the  five  Germans 
and  Tony  Duval.  Evidently  one  of  the  men 
—the  stranger — had  been  spying  on  them,  and 
he  had  carried  his  information  to  the  others. 

"That's  right,  Bauermann,  make  them  ex- 
plain themselves,"  growled  Tony  Duval. 
"And  don't  be  too  easy  on  'em,  either !" 

"See  here,  you  have  no  right  to  come  in  here 
without  being  invited,"  said  Gif  angrily. 

"Poof!  what  are  you  but  a  pack  of  silly 
schoolboys?"  growled  the  German.  "Perhaps 
you  thought  you  were  doing  a  wonderful  thing 
spying  around  our  house  and  our  barn?  You 
didn't  know  we  had  someone  watching  you 
all  the  time." 

"Yes,  and  watching  you  also  when  you  spied 
on  Duval,"  broke  in  another  of  the  men. 

"Well,    what    do    you    want?"    questioned 
Randy,  after  a  brief  and  ominous  pause. 
300 


THE  EXPOSURE-CONCLUSION  301 

"We  want  you  to  tell  us  just  what  you  have 
discovered  and  what  you  propose  to  do  about 
it,"  answered  Emil  Bauermann.  "And  remem- 
ber, I  want  the  plain  truth !  No  beating  about 
the  bush !"  and  he  shook  a  warning  finger  at 
the  cadets. 

While  the  man  was  speaking  Jack  had 
stepped  to  the  rear  of  the  crowd.  Now  he 
made  a  movement  to  pick  up  his  gun,  but  at 
this  one  of  the  Germans  rushed  forward,  pull- 
ing a  pistol  from  his  pocket  as  he  did  so. 

"Stop  that!  Don't  you  dare  to  touch  that 
gun!"  the  man  roared  threateningly. 

"You  can't  order  us  around  in  our  own 
house,"  declared  Gif.  "If  you  are  going  to 
talk  like  that  you  can  get  out." 

"We'll  stay  as  long  as  we  please ;  and  if  you 
boys  don't  behave  yourselves,  so  much  the 
worse  for  you,"  answered  Emil  Bauermann. 
"We  are  going  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  your 
tricks,  and  do  it  now." 

"Suppose  we  have  nothing  to  say,"  said 
Andy. 

"But  you  will  say  something,"  stormed  an- 
other of  the  Germans.  "If  you  don't — well, 
you  will  take  the  consequences,  that's  all." 

After  this  the  Germans  did  their  best  to 
make  the  cadets  give  all  the  particulars  re- 


302  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

garding  their  visit  to  Tony  Duval's  shack,  and 
also  to  the  house  and  barn  on  the  Parking- 
ham  place.  They  were  anxious  to  ascertain 
just  how  much  the  boys  knew,  and  also  how 
(much  they  suspected. 

But  the  cadets  were  on  their  guard,  and' 
refused  to  answer  many  of  the  questions  put 
to  them.  This  infuriated  both  the  Germans 
and  Duval,  and  for  the  time  being  it  looked 
as  if  a  fight  was  coming  and  the  cadets  might 
get  the  worst  of  it.  All  of  the  men  were 
armed,  and  they  did  not  permit  any  of  the 
young  hunters  to  touch  their  weapons.  In- 
stead, one  of  the  men  was  ordered  by  Bauer- 
mann  to  confiscate  the  guns.  And  this  he  did, 
placing  them  in  a  heap  outside  of  the  Lodge. 

Seeing  they  could  get  very  little  out  of  the 
cadets,  and  suspecting  that  the  lads  were  get- 
ting ready  to  notify  the  authorities,  the  Ger- 
mans held  another  consultation  in  their  own 
tongue  and  then  called  Duval  to  one  side. 

"Just  as  I  expected,  we'll  have  to  make 
prisoners  of  them  for  the  time  being,"  said 
,Emil  Bauermann  to  Duval.  "We  can  take 
them  up  in  the  mountains,  to  that  log  cabin 
you  spoke  about." 

"But  we  can't  take  them  in  the  sleigh,"  an^ 
swered  Duval. 


THE  EXPOSURE-CONCLUSION  303 

"Then  you  and  two  of  my  men  will  have  to 
march  them  up  there  on  foot.  We  can  come 
up  later  and  bring  you  supplies." 

"Do  you  think  it's  as  bad  as  all  that?"  ques- 
tioned Tony  Duval  nervously. 

"I  do !  They  have  learned  too  much !  And 
if  word  of  this  got  to  the  authorities  it  might 
go  hard  with  all  of  us." 

Thereupon  the  six  cadets  were  ordered  to 
get  their  belongings  together  and  prepare  to 
leave  the  Lodge.  All  demurred,  but  the  Ger- 
mans and  Duval  showed  their  weapons  and 
acted  so  threateningly  that  there  was  nothing 
left  to  do  but  to  obey. 

"This  is  the  worst  yet!"  groaned  Fred. 
"Where  in  the  world  do  they  intend  to  take 
us?" 

"Don't  ask  me,"  replied  Randy  dismally. 

"If  only  we  could  get  at  our  guns,"  whis- 
pered Gif. 

"Let's  make  a  dash  for  them,"  suggested 
Jack. 

"Yes,  and  get  shot  down  on  the  spot!"  re- 
turned Spouter. 

With  their  belongings  over  their  shoulders, 
the  six  cadets  had  just  been  marched  out  of 
the  Lodge  when  there  came  an  unexpected 
interruption.  Glancing  toward  the  river,  Jack 


304  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

saw  a  body  of  men  approaching.  They  were 
at  least  eight  or  ten  in  number,  and  the  man 
in  the  lead  was  William  Pollock. 

"Look!  look!"  whispered  the  oldest  Rover 
boy  to  the  others.  "There  is  that  Secret  Ser- 
vice agent,  and  he  has  an  armed  posse  with 
him." 

"Grab  the  guns  and  make  for  the  Lodge," 
sugested  Randy. 

A  shout  came  from  the  woods  as  Pollock 
approached.  This  surprised  the  Germans  and 
Duval,  and,  noting  the  number  of  men  com- 
ing on,  they  were  bewildered  and  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  It  was  just  such  a  diversion  as  the 
boys  were  hoping  for,  and  in  a  trice  they  had 
rushed  for  their  guns  and  secured  their  wea- 
pons. Then  Jack  sent  up  a  shout. 

"Mr.  Pollock!  Mr.  Pollock!  This  way! 
Here  are  those  Germans  now!  And  Tony 
Duval  is  with  them!" 

The  things  that  happened  next  came  so 
rapidly  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  describe 
them.  At  first  the  Germans  and  Duval  sought 
to  make  resistance,  and  several  shots  were 
fired  by  them.  The  boys  and  some  of  the 
Secret  Service  posse  fired  in  return,  and  Duval 
was  struck  in  the  arm  and  one  of  the  Ger- 
mans got  a  bullet  through  his  leg.  Then  the 


THE  EXPOSURE— CONCLUSION  305 

Germans  and  Duval  made  a  rush  for  the  sleigh 
in  an  endeavor  to  escape. 

But  William  Pollock  and  his  men  had 
handled  such  desperate  characters  before. 
Two  of  them  leaped  in  front  of  the  moving 
horses  and  stopped  them,  while  the  others 
surrounded  the  men  in  the  sleigh  and  pointed 
their  guns  at  the  fellows. 

"Hands  up,  all  of  you!"  ordered  Pollock 
sternly.  "Quick  now,  if  you  don't  want  us  to 
fire !" 

At  heart  the  Germans  were  cowards,  and 
even  though  they  still  held  their  pistols,  when 
they  saw  the  uplifted  guns  of,  not  alone  the 
posse,  but  also  the  cadets,  pointed  at  them, 
they  raised  their  hands  without  further  pro- 
test, and  Tony  Duval  did  the  same;  and  thus 
the  brief  but  sharp  encounter  came  to  a  termina- 
tion. 

"You  are  making  a  terrible  mistake,"  said 
Emil  Bauermann  lamely.  "We  have  done  nor 
wrong." 

"You  can  tell  your  story  in  court,"  an- 
swered William  Pollock  briefly,  and  there- 
after he  made  the  Germans  and  Duval  give  up 
all  their  weapons.  Then  he  had  some  of  his 
men  search  the  evildoers  and  take  from  them 
whatever  papers  and  documents  they  carried. 


306  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

When  he  had  a  list  of  their  names  he  looked 
well  satisfied. 

"Bauermann,  we  have  been  trying  to  round 
you  up  for  the  past  six  months,"  said  he 
sternly.  "You  know  you  are  wanted  for  that 
little  affair  in  Philadelphia."  And  at  this  the 
German  looked  much  disturbed. 

The  cadets  were  exceedingly  thankful  for; 
the  opportune  arrival  of  the  Secret  Service 
man  and  his  posse. 

"Well,  I  told  you  I  would  come,"  said  he. 
"I  was  delayed  a  little  though.  You  know  in 
these  war  times  matters  do  not  always  move 
as  swiftly  as  one  would  want.  A  good  deal  of 
the  credit  for  this  haul  goes  to  you  boys,"  he 
added  with  a  smile. 

Much  to  the  surprise  of  the  cadets,  in  the 
crowd  of  newcomers  was  Herman  Grouse. 
The  German-American  farmer  seemed  well 
satisfied  with  what  had  taken  place. 

"Mr.  Pollock  knows  that  I  am  true-blue," 
said  he.  "That  Bauermann  and  the  rest  of 
his  gang  thought  they  could  use  me.  But  I 
have  fooled  them  nicely.  There  is  but  one 
country  for  old  Herman  Grouse,  and  that  is 
the  good  old  United  States  of  America,"  and 
his  face  beamed  as  he  spoke. 

"That's  the  right  way  to  talk !"  cried  Jack, 


THE  EXPOSURE— CONCLUSION  307 

"You  don't  know  how  pleased  I  am  to  know 
the  man  we  hauled  out  of  that  train  wreck 
is  true-blue." 

"If  we  had  thought  you  were  a  traitorous 
German,  we  might  have  left  you  to  shift  for 
yourself,"  added  Randy.  "Although  maybe 
I  wouldn't  have  had  the  heart  to  do  that, 
either,"  he  added,  on  second  thought. 

After  the  Germans  and  Duval  had  been 
made  prisoners  they  were  left  at  the  Lodge 
in  charge  of  two  of  the  Secret  Service  men  and 
the  cadets.  Then  William  Pollock  and  the 
other  men  took  the  sleigh  and  lost  no  time 
in  making  their  way  to  the  old  Parkingham 
house.  They  had  some  trouble  with  the  old 
German  housekeeper,  but  wasted  no  words 
with  her  and  finally  compelled  her  to  tell  all 
'she  knew.  The  old  house  was  ransacked 
from  top  to  bottom  for  evidence  against  the 
Germans,  after  which  the  posse  turned  its  at- 
tention to  the  contents  of  the  barn. 

The  results  were  as  William  Pollock  had  an- 
ticipated. These  Germans,  aided  by  a  number 
of  others  and  also  by  Duval,  were  getting 
(ready  to  erect  a  fair-sized  radio  station  in  the 
woods  behind  the  old  house.  Duval  had  car- 
ried many  messages  for  them  and  also  done 
some  trucking.  He  was  hand-in-glove  with 


308  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

them,  willing  to  make  money  at  any  cost.  He 
told  later  that  both  his  mother  and  his  grand- 
mother had  been  Germans. 

As  Herman  Grouse  had  said,  he  had  been 
used  to  do  some  trucking  for  the  Germans, 
and  had  likewise  been  asked  to  perform  a  nurp 
ber  of  errands.  But  gradually  he  had  become 
suspicious  of  the  men,  and  was  thinking  seri- 
ously of  notifying  the  authorities  when  the 
cadets  appeared  on  the  scene. 

"And  what  about  Bill  Glutts  and  Gabe  Wer- 
ner?" questioned  Jack  of  William  Pollock  later 
on,  when  the  Secret  Service  men  were  getting 
ready  to  take  the  Germans  and  Duval  away. 

"I  can't  tell  you  all  the  particulars  about 
those  two  young  fellows,"  answered  the  Sec- 
ret Service  men.  "The  Germans  evidently 
used  them,  but  whether  Glutts  and  Werner 
knew  the  truth  of  what  the  Germans  were  do- 
ing remains  to  be  found  out." 

It  may  be  added  here  that  Glutts  and  Wer- 
ner were  very  much  scared  over  the  position 
in  which  they  found  themselves,  and  when  the 
Germans  and  Duval  came  up  for  a  hearing  the 
parents  of  the  two  young  fellows  had  all  they5 
could  do  to  convince  the  authorities  that  Gabe 
and  Bill  were  really  patriotic. 

"Well,   I'm  mighty  glad  we  are  clear  of 


THE  EXPOSURE— CONCLUSION  300 

those  Germans,  and  of  Tony  Duval,  too,"  said 
Gif,  after  the  evildoers  had  been  taken  away. 
"Now  maybe  we  can  finish  our  outing  in 
peace." 

And  this  they  did.  Jed  Wallop  came  over 
to  see  them  and  went  out  with  the  young 
hunters  a  number  of  times.  No  larger  game 
appeared,  but  they  brought  down  a  number  of 
rabbits  and  squirrels,  as  well  as  partridges  and 
some  smaller  birds,  and  with  this  they  had  to 
be  content. 

During  those  days  the  boys  received  several 
fetters  from  the  girls,  and  also  a  letter  from 
Mrs.  Tom  Rover  enclosing  one  from  her  hus- 
band in  France.  This  latter  epistle  stated  that 
the  writer  and  his  brother  Sam  had  recovered 
from  the  shell  wounds  received,  and  that  Dick 
Rover  was  no  longer  suffering  from  the  effects 
of  the  gas  attack  he  had  experienced. 

"Gee !  this  is  the  best  news  yet,"  cried  Jack, 
with  satisfaction. 

"You've  said  it !"  came  from  the  twins ;  and 
Fred's  face  also  showed  his  satisfaction. 

"Well,  we've  certainly  had  a  wonderful  out- 
ing," declared  Randy. 

"And  how  many  queer  things  have  hap- 
pened !"  added  his  twin.  "I  don't  believe  we'll 
ever  have  as  much  excitement  as  this  again." 


3io  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

But  in  this  surmise  Andy  was  mistaken. 
There  were  many  happenings  still  in  store  for 
the  boys,  and  what  some  of  them  were  will 
be  related  in  our  next  volume,  to  be  entitled 
"The  Rover  Boys  in  the  Land  of  Luck ;  Or,  Stir- 
ring Adventures  in  the  Oil  Fields." 

"Well,  we'll  be  going  back  to  Colby  Hall 
before  long,"  said  Gif,  that  evening. 

"But  first  you'll  have  to  testify  against  those 
Germans  and  Tony  Duval,"  answered  Spouter. 

"Good  old  Colby  Hall !"  cried  Jack.  "I  don't 
know  but  what  I'll  be  glad  enough  to  get 
back  there,  after  all,  and  see  all  the  othec 
fellows." 

"And  see  the  girls  of  Clearwater  Hall,  too,*' 
put  in  Andy  slyly. 

"We'll  certainly  have  some  stories  to  tell — 
how  we  brought  down  all  that  game,"  came 
from  Fred,  his  eyes  glistening. 

Then  in  the  best  of  good  humor  the  boys 
started  singing  one  of  their  favorite  school 
songs.  And  here  we  will  leave  them  and  say 
good-bye. 

THE  END 


This  Isn't  All! 


Would  you  like  to  know  what 
became  of  the  good  friends  you 
have  made  in  this  book? 

Would  you  like  to  read  other 
stories  continuing  their  adventures 
and  experiences,  or  other  books 
quite  as  entertaining  by  the  same 
author  ? 

On  the  reverse  side  of  the  wrap- 
per which  comes  with  this  book, 
you  will  find  a  wonderful  list  of 
stories  which  you  can  buy  at  the 
same  store  where  you  got  this  book. 

Don't  throw  away  the  Wrapper 

Use  it  as  a  handy  catalog  of  the  books 
you  want  some  day  to  have.  <3$ut  in 
case  you  do  mislay  it,  write  to  the 
'Publishers  for  a  complete  catalog. 


THE  HARDY  BOYS  SERIES 

By  FRANKLIN  W.  DIXON 

Illustrated.     Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself 

The  Hardy  Boys  are  sons  of  a  celebrated  American 
detective,  and  during  vacations  and  their  off  time  from 
school  they  help  their  father  by  hunting  down  clues  them- 
selves. 

THE  TOWER  TREASURE— A  dying  criminal  confessed  that 
his  loot  had  been  secreted  "  in  the  tower."  Jt  remained  for  the 
Hardy  Boys  to  clear  up  the  mystery. 

THE  HOUSE  ON  THE  CLIFF— Mr.  Hardy  started  to  invest- 
igate — and  disappeared !  An  odd  tale,  with  plenty  of  excitement. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  OLD  MILL— Counterfeit  money  was 
in  circulation,  and  the  limit  was  reached  when  Mrs.  Hardy  took 
some  from  a  stranger.  A  tale  full  of  thrills. 

THE  MISSING  CHUMS— Two  of  the  Hardy  Boys'  chums 
disappear  and  are  almost  rescued  by  their  friends  when  all  are 
captured.  A  thrilling  story  of  adventure. 

HUNTING  FOR  HIDDEN  GOLD— In  tracing  some  stolen 
gold  the  trail  leads  the  boys  to  an  abandoned  mine,  and  there 
things  start  to  happen. 

THE  SHORE  ROAD  MYSTERY— Automobiles  were  disap- 
pearing most  mysteriously  from  the  Shore  Road.  It  remained  for 
the  Hardy  Boys  to  solve  the  mystery. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  CAVES— When  the  boys  reached 
the  caves  they  came  unexpectedly  upon  a  queer  old  hermit. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  CABIN  ISLAND— A  story  of  queer 
adventures  on  a  rockbound  island. 

THE  GREAT  AIRPORT  MYSTERY— The  Hardy  Boys  solve 
the  mystery  of  the  disappearance  of  some  valuable  mail. 

WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  MIDNIGHT— The  boys  follow  a 
trail  that  ends  in  a  strange  and  exciting  situation. 

WHILE  THE  CLOCK  TICKED— The  Hardy  Boys  aid  in  vin- 
dicating a  man  who  has  been  wrongly  accused  of  a  crime. 

FOOTPRINTS  UNDER  THE  WINDOW— The  Smuggling 
of  Chinese  into  this  country  is  the  basis  of  this  story  in  which  the 
boys  find  thrills  and  excitement  aplenty. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


TED  SCOTT  FLYING  STORIES 

By  FRANKLIN  W.  DIXON 
Illustrated.     Each  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

No  subject  has  so  thoroughly  caught  the  imagination  of 
young  America  as  aviation.  This  series  has  been  inspired 
by  recent  daring  feats  of  the  air,  and  is  dedicated  to 
Lindbergh,  Byrd,  Chamberlin  and  other  heroes  of  the  skies. 

OVER  THE  OCEAN  TO  PARIS; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Daring  Long  Distance  Flight. 

RESCUED  IN  THE  CLOUDS; 

or,  Ted  Scott,  Hero  of  the  Air. 

OVER  THE  ROCKIES  WITH  THE  AIR  MAIL; 

or,   Ted  Scott  Lost  in  the  Wilderness. 

FIRST  STOP  HONOLULU; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Over  the  Pacific. 

THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  LOST  FLYERS; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Ovtr  the  West  Indies. 

SOUTH  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE; 

or,  Ted  Scott  On  a  Secret  Mission. 

ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Hop  to  Australia. 

THE  LONE  EAGLE  OF  THE  BORDER ; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Diamond  Smugglers. 

FLYING  AGAINST  TIME; 

or,  Breaking  the  Ocean  to  Ocean  Record. 

OVER  THE  JUNGLE  TRAILS ; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Missing  Explorers. 

LOST  AT  THE  SOUTH  POLE; 

or,  Ted  Scott  in  Blizzard  Land. 

THROUGH  THE  AIR  TO  ALASKA; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Search  in  Nugget  Valley. 

FLYING  TO  THE  RESCUE ; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Big  Dirigible. 

DANGER  TRAILS  OF  THE  SKY; 

or,  7^ed  Scott's  Great  Mountain  Climb. 

FOLLOWING  THE  SUN  SHADOW; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Great  Eclipse. 

BATTLING  THE  WIND; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Flying  Around  Cape  Horn. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP.  PUBLISHERS,   NEW  YORK 


BOB  CHASE  BIG  GAME  SERIES 

By  FRANK  A.  WARNER 


In  these  thrilling  stories  of  outdoor  life  the  hero  is  a 
young  lumberjack  who  is  a  crack  rifle  shot.  While 
tracking  game  in  the  Maine  woods  he  does  some  rich 
hunters  a  great  service.  They  become  interested  in  him 
and  take  him  on  various  hunting  expeditions  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  Bob  learns  what  it  is  to  face  not 
only  wildcats,  foxes  and  deer  but  also  bull  moose, 
Rocky  Mountain  grizzly  bears  and  many  other  species 
of  big  game. 

BOB  CHASE  WITH  THE  BIG  MOOSE  HUNTERS 
BOB  CHASE  AFTER  GRIZZLY  BEARS 
BOB  CHASE  IN  THE  TIGER'S  LAIR 
BOB  CHASE  WITH  THE  LION  HUNTERS 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,   NEW  YORK 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


NON-RE 

AFK  0  9  1991 


DUE 


CiOJUtgDATE 


MAY  01 


RECEIVED 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  UBRARYFACIUTY 


A    000133408     5 


